Chemical Today November 2016

November 2016 | Volume 1 | Issue 6 | ₹200

CHEMICAL

TODAY C o n n e c t i n g Wo r l d C h e m i c a l l y

ENVIRONMENTAL

CONCERNS + DEMAND

= ECO - FRIENDLY SOLVENTS

Expert Viewpoint Metals & Minerals

Sector View Solvents

Feature Silicones In Auto Industry

Equipment Pumps Interview

NOW ALSO AVAILABLE ON

Creating an

ECO-FRIENDLY EQUATION One of the important links in the manufacturing process is the solvents.

Whether it is printing ink, paints & coatings, adhesives, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics to name a few, solvents have become an invaluable part of the process. Demand for better quality, has been constantly pushing the envelope for solvents to evolve. Moreover, rising environmental concerns are also accelerating demand for use of bio & green solvents. This demand is further fuelled by the uncertainty of crude oil prices and with consumers trying to reduce the dependency on non-renewable resources such as crude oil, coal and natural gas. Manufacturers are stepping up the ante to change the entire equation of solvent manufacturing.

Moreover, according to market reports, the global green and bio-based solvents market is expected to expand at a 7.2 percent CAGR to be valued at $8.05 billion by 2023. And to know more about the evolving trends in solvents, glance at our ‘Sector View.’

On a separate note, the rising environmental concerns are even driving the dynamics of the automotive industry. More and more auto manufacturers are looking to manufacture lightweight, fuel efficient vehicles. Several global regulations are also becoming stringent to keep a check on the environment.

Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) in the US requires manufacturers to improve the cars’ miles per gallon (MPG) from 25 MPG to 35.5 MPG. The European automotive industry is under pressure to achieve fuel economy requirement of 5 L/100 km.

In such a scenario, the trend among OEMs is to miniaturise their products or use lighter materials to bring down the overall weight of the automobiles – As every single ounce counts! Manufacturers are exploring the opportunities that silicones has to offer. They are increasingly replacing metal parts with silicones to make vehicles lighter, faster yet sturdier for the future. Know all about it as we focus on ‘Silicones used in the Auto Industry,’ in our Feature section.

As the Diwali celebrations continue, we wish our readers Happy Festivities, Good Times and a Prosperous Year Ahead from the Chemical Today team.

May the coming months bring in hope and enthusiasm!

Whether you want to give us a break, bouquet or brickbats, write to editorial@worldofchemicals.com

Shivani Mody Editor In Chief shivani.m@worldofchemicals.com

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CONTENTS

38

QUOTES 06 NEWS 08 NEWS ANALYSIS 10 MAKE A DIFFERENCE 12 EVENTS 18 EXPERT VIEWPOINT METALS & MINERALS 20 GREEN CHEMISTRY

24

SECTOR VIEW SOLVENTS

32

SOLVENTS VOC

36

FEATURE SILICONES IN AUTO INDUSTRY 38 INNOVATION RESINS 42 MARKET UPDATES REPORT BIO SOLVENTS

44

CARBON STEEL

56

INDUSTRIAL SOLVENTS

60

METALWORKING FLUIDS

62

SOLENOID VALVE ACADAEMIC R&D R&D - YOUNG TURKS SAFETY WATCH GAS LEAK DETECTORS GLOBAL SAFETY SWITCHES MARKET LOGISTICS

64 66 70

TSCA MODERNIZED

76

56

DIFFERENT FACETS OF

SILICONES FEATURE

12 P R A X A IR , GE AV IATION JV TO FOCUS O N

SPECIALIZED COATINGS FOR ENGINES

72 74

NEWS

46

SUPPLY CHAIN MISCONCEPTIONS 78 JOBS 80 IT IN CHEMICALS COMSOL CONFERENCE 84 INTERVIEW IIOT

SAVE ENERGY OR INCREASE PRODUCTION SPEED

86

PRODUCTS 88 EQUIPMENT PUMPS INTERVIEW 92 94

EQUIPMENT

WITH URALAC ® EASYCURE POLYESTER RESINS

INNOVATION

GLOSSARY 98

Chemical Today is a monthly magazine focused on chemistry & the chemical industry.

EDITOR IN CHIEF: Shivani Mody BUSINESS HEAD: Naveen Suryavanshi PRINCIPAL CORRESPONDENT: Debarati Das GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Santosh Pradhan FOR ADVERTISING QUERIES: naveen@worldofchemicals.com | advt@ worldofchemicals.com FOR SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES: subscriptions@worldofchemicals.com FOR EDITORIAL QUERY:

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Published for November 2016.

Disclaimer: All rights reserved worldwide. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. All photographs, unless otherwise specified, are used for illustrative purposes only. The publisher makes every effort to ensure that the magazine’s contents are correct. However, we accept no responsibility for any errors or omissions and for any loss or damage caused as an effect thereof. The information provided in this publication is for general use and may not be appropriate for the specific requirements of readers. Views and opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher.

editorial@worldofchemicals.com © 2016 worldofchemicals.com

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QUOTES There are waves of change and

Only 0.5 percent of sales is spend

development. GST bill will reduce

on R&D, this must go up for India

10-15 percent of tax for the chemical

to be in top 5 largest petrochemical

and petrochemical Industries

industry in the world

Ananth Kumar, Minister Of Chemicals And Fertilizers, Government Of India.

Anuj Kumar Bishnoi, Secretary to Government of India, Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals.

The India Chemical Industry is a vertical

The world is changing around us and

component of the Indian economy and has

this change is gaining momentum.

the potential to grow to a size of $226 billion

Companies are transforming and

by FY2020 through a series of concerted

imbibing digital transformation. There

efforts. This aspirational growth scenario

are some traditional industries that have

places greater emphasis on the specialty,

not changed for decades. But even

pharmaceutical and biotech segments. In

these process plants have to transform

order to realise the true potential, Industry,

themselves

Government and Regulatory bodies need to work in tandem

Raju Bhinge, Chief Executive Officer, Tata Strategic Management Group.

6

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

Andy Chatha, President, ARC Advisory Group.

Our growing financial strength enables us to increase investment in research and development. Zero road-traffic accidents, clean air and intelligent mobility are the relevant goals in this context Dr Elmar Degenhart, Chairman, Executive Board, Continental AG.

The tyre industry is healthy, growing and offers attractive opportunities to grow profitably. Our strategy is built to take advantage of key industry drivers including the transition to increasingly complex, large-rim diametre tyres and the growing influence of empowered consumers in all aspects of the tyre buying process Richard Kramer, Chairman, CEO and President, Goodyear Tyre & Rubber Company.

As soon as we heard about the EarthColors technology, we wanted to explore the possibilities of cotton as a natural dye source. Byproducts of cotton harvesting and ginning have been utilized within the food and construction industries for decades, but we were intrigued by the idea of using cotton biomass to dye cotton fibre.

Mary Ankeny, Senior Director, Textile Chemistry Research, Cotton Incorporated.

The increasing number of alternatives available to consumers is posing as a major challenge for the food industry. However, increase in the consumption of bakery products, changing food habits and growth in the poultry segment will be a major driver for the food additive industry R S Jalan, Managing director, Gujarat Heavy Chemicals Limited (GHCL)

The industry today, wants to maximize the throughput. Instead of efficiency we are looking for profitability. Process timing is changing to the decision-making timing and collaboration is replacing individualization. Instead of eliminating humans from the shop floor or the production units we are empowering them with technology.

This is the new way of working B R Mehta, Senior Vice President, Reliance Industries Limited.

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

7

NEWS NATIONAL SOLVAY TO INCREASE SULFONE

POLYMER CAPACITY IN INDIA, US S

olvay is planning to raise the total production capacity of highperformance sulfone polymers by more than 35 percent for next 5 years with major investments and process development in US and Asia.

Further to manufacturing sulfone polymers at its plant in Marietta, US and Panoli, India, the company is also producing sulfone monomer at Panoli and in Augusta, US to ensure supply for its customers in developing markets. “Solvay a pioneer in sulfone polymers is proud to continue investing in the manufacture with the purpose of meeting increasing industry demand and better serving our customers globally,” said Augusto Di Donfrancesco, president of Solvay’s specialty polymers global business unit. A global leader in sulfone polymer and monomer production, Solvay serves customers in industries, such as aerospace, automotive, consumer products, construction, electrical/electronics, healthcare and filtration membranes.

SUMITOMO TO EXPAND POLYPROPYLENE

COMPOUND CAPACITY IN INDIA S

umitomo Chemical Company has decided to further advance the global development of its polypropylene (PP) compound business by establishing a new manufacturing facility in Chennai, India to meet the growing demand.

“Given the solid growth of demand, the Indian affiliate’s operation was strengthened with production capabilities newly equipped, and the company held an inauguration ceremony for the production facilities in September 2016,” said Sumitomo in a press release.

Polypropylene compounds are high-performance materials made by kneading synthetic rubber, glass fibres, and inorganic fillers into PP to improve or vary such parameters as impact resistance and functionalities according to target applications, for example, automobile bumpers, interiors and household electrical appliances.

Sumitomo created its Automotive Materials Division in Tokyo in July 2014, to enhance the company’s businesses associated with the automotive industry. The division, which handles PP compound-based products and thermoplastic elastomers, among others, is working to promote a business of offering proposals proactively to customers so as to meet their needs and requirements properly for development of products and applications. Looking ahead, the company will explore opportunities of further expanding and enhancing its global network of production and marketing so that it can respond to customers’ diverse needs more swiftly. Expansion in India is part of this strategy.

In addition to India, Sumitomo Chemical has also established a new marketing base in Mexico to strengthen its PP business worldwide.

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Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

INTERNATIONAL GRACE GIVES UNIPOL PP PROCESS

TECHNOLOGY TO BRASKEM W

R Grace & Co will give its Unipol PP process technology and services to Braskem America’s newest planned facility in La Porte, Texas (US), which could start operations in early 2019.

Grace’s Unipol PP process technology is an all gas-phase technology that is the most economical in investment and has the broadest product capabilities with a stable and predictable operation. It is designed with fewer moving parts and less equipment than any competing technology.

Braskem’s La Porte facility is considered to produce 450 kilo tonnes per year of homopolymer, random copolymers, and impact copolymers in a single reactor line, for which the Unipol PP process technology enables the production of the broadest, most advanced product slate.

“The focus for our new PP plant is to meet the growing PP market demand with the most economical investment and with broad product capability. We are glad to work with Grace to meet our business objectives using the Unipol PP technology,” said Mark Nikolich, CEO of Braskem America.

“Given the objectives for the new facility, we are confident that the Unipol PP process technology will provide the most cost effective solution for Braskem’s production needs,” said Al Beninati, president of Grace’s speciality catalysts business segment.

NEMASKA, FMC SIGN LONG-TERM

LITHIUM CARBONATE SUPPLY AGREEMENT N

emaska Lithium Inc has entered into an agreement with FMC Corporation to provide 8,000 metric tonnes per year of lithium carbonate to FMC beginning in mid-2018.

Based in Quebec, Canada, Nemaska Lithium is constructing new lithium production capabilities of 28,000 metric tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent.

“With the signing of this second multi-year agreement, we have total purchase commitments for close to 50 percent of the corporation’s total planned production starting in mid-2018,” said Guy Bourassa, president and CEO, Nemaska Lithium.

“FMC is looking to diversify its supply sources of high quality lithium products and our proprietary process enables Nemaska Lithium to produce low cost lithium carbonate that meets FMC’s quality specifications. Our customers, including FMC, will begin receiving lithium samples from our Phase 1 Plant in 2017.”

Nemaska Lithium is building a commercial Hydromet lithium plant with a name plate production capacity of 28,000 metric tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE). When constructed, the Hydromet Plant will produce battery grade lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate.

“I believe in the long term the lithium battery market will continue to move toward lithium hydroxide chemistries and we are very well positioned in this space,” added Bourassa.

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

9

NEWS ANALYSIS OILFIELD SERVICES

GE, BAKER HUGHES MERGER

TO SHAKE UP OILFIELD

SERVICES SECTOR

BY SHIVANI MODY

G

eneral Electric Co (GE) announced that it will merge its oil & gas business with Baker Hughes Inc (BHI) on 31 October, to create a new oilfield services (OFS) business. The merger will see the creation of the world’s second-largest oilfield services provider as competition heats up to supply more-efficient products and services to the energy industry after several years of low crude prices.

Given GE and BHI’s strong positions in digitally-based applications and down hole technology, respectively, the new entity will be well-positioned to benefit from a strengthening global E&P sector. Also the combination comes at a favourable time for both companies as prolonged commodity price weakness increases the value of efficiency gains within the OFS sector.

“The merger of GE Oil & Gas and BHI will create a new, more technologicallyadvanced breed of OFS company that is well-placed to benefit from an E&P recovery. The new venture will have strong capabilities to both boost productivity from core unconventional plays and compete for market share in emerging offshore acreage,” said Business Monitor International Ltd (BMI) Research.

The deal to create a company with $32 billion in annual revenue will combine GE’s strengths in making equipment long-prized by oil producers with Baker Hughes’s expertise in drilling and fracking new wells. GE will own 62.5 percent of the new publicly-traded company with BHI taking the remaining 37.5 percent stake, also with GE contributing $7.4 billion to fund a dividend for BHI shareholders. The deal is expected to close in mid-2017.

Lorenzo Simonelli, head of GE’s oil & gas business will lead the new entity, to be called “Baker Hughes, a GE company.”

File Photo

Jeff Immelt GE Chief Executive Officer 10

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

GE is already the world’s largest oilfield equipment maker and it has invested heavily in large data processing services just as the oil industry eyes its potential to boost oil recovery. Baker Hughes, by contrast, is seen as one of the world leaders in horizontal drilling, chemicals

Martin Craighead Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Baker Hughes Inc

© Bloomberg File Photo Business Monitor International Ltd (BMI) Research

used to frack and other services key to oil production.

The new company will vault Baker Hughes’s market share ahead of rival Halliburton Co, which tried and failed to buy Baker until the deal collapsed last May. GE and Baker Hughes will reach out to the Justice Department and European antitrust enforcers, according to a source close to the company. GE will argue to antitrust enforcers - who stopped the deal between Halliburton and Baker Hughes just months ago - that their deal is complementary, and that they are committed to any remedy needed to win approval, the source said, reported Reuters.

Merger complements, not substitutes The melding of the two firms will significantly benefit both GE and BHI, producing a more efficient company that is significantly more integrated across the OFS supply chain. Though the deal is pending regulatory approval, it is likely to receive clearance given the limited amount of overlap between business units.

With the exception of their Artificial Lift segments, the two companies are complementary, suggesting significant value creation via the new OFS entity. GE’s data capabilities will boost the efficacy of BHI’s top-tier equipment, enhancing their service offerings in a highly-competitive upstream market.

There is significant long-term opportunity in offshore given a continued focus on deep water resources in a number of emerging and frontier markets. BHI’s offshore well construction, stimulation and intervention Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

capabilities will complement GE’s well maintenance and control tools. This will allow the company to compete for share in West African and Latin American offshore markets including Brazil, Mexico and Nigeria, all of which we forecast will increase output over the next decade.

Gearing up for a new normal Though oil prices will average higher as the market rebalances, OFS companies will remain under significant pressure to keep costs low. The forecast is of a modest appreciation of oil & gas prices over the next decade, with crude expected to average below $70/bbl through 2020.

This will encourage OFS providers to boost efficiencies and sharpen product offerings, thereby creating value for customers in a lower price environment, forecasted BMI Research.

Also the deal comes at a time when North American oil & gas producers are putting rigs back to work after a near-freeze in activity caused by a slump in oil prices that began mid-2014.

But the deal is predicated on a forecast for oil prices to rise to $60 per barrel by 2019, GE chief executive Jeff Immelt told investors, reported Reuters.

Global oil prices have risen by a third this year to near $50 a barrel.

Baker CEO Martin Craighead, who will become vice chairman of the new company said, “We see growth under any market environment. Our customers continue to spend massive amounts of money.”

The industry wide push for pumping more oil and natural gas at cheaper costs should only accelerate that trend, he said.

Souce: Company data

11

NEWS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

P

raxair Surface Technologies Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of Praxair Inc and GE Aviation said they have formed a joint venture, PG Technologies LLC. Praxair Surface Technologies and its subsidiary will hold the majority interest in the venture with GE Aviation and its subsidiary holding the remainder.

GE9X engine

PG Technologies will focus on development, support and application of specialized coatings tailored for GE Aviation’s and CFM International’s current and future engine models, including the GE9X and LEAP engines. CFM International is a 50/50 joint venture company between GE and Safran Aircraft Engines of France.

“This joint venture will take the leadership role in the next generation of coating technology applications and will invest in new coating production capacity to meet the needs of the burgeoning aviation sector,” said Pierre Luthi, board member, PG Technologies and president, Praxair Surface Technologies.

12

PRAXAIR, GE AVIATION JV TO FOCUS ON

“PG Technologies will play an important role in GE Aviation’s engine manufacturing system. With engine production volume levels growing, GE’s need for specialized coatings will also increase, and this joint venture will ensure we meet our commitments on the performance and durability of our engines,” said Colleen Athans, vice president and general manager, supply chain, GE Aviation.

SPECIALIZED COATINGS FOR ENGINES

Coating operations for PG Technologies will be based in Ellisville, Mississippi, Indianapolis, Indiana and Singapore.

PG Technologies services will also be supported by the global facility network of Praxair Surface Technologies.

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

AKZONOBEL’S ESSENTIAL INGREDIENT

FOR CITIES TO EMBRACE URBAN GARDENS T

he power of urban gardens to revitalize cities and make people’s lives more livable and inspiring is being showcased by AkzoNobel.

The company has created a vertical garden to help transform a bleak expanse of concrete into a colourful and more attractive space for local residents, at an event. The garden has no soil and is based on a hydroponic system, which uses micronutrients supplied by AkzoNobel to provide essential minerals for the plants.

Organized by the United Nations, Habitat III is one of the most important global conferences focused on urban development and making cities more sustainable, the event where AkzoNobel is showcasing the solution.

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

“Making urban areas more pleasant and hospitable is fundamental to our global Human Cities initiative,” said GeertJan Beijering, commercial manager for AkzoNobel’s micronutrients business in the Americas.

“It’s also closely linked to the company’s Planet Possible approach to sustainability.

So the garden is an excellent example of how we can help improve urban environments by providing solutions that can bring vitality and practicality.”

The company’s micronutrients have been used to help create the garden, which conceals the concrete wall of a parking lot. Micronutrients are essential for hydroponic-based growing systems that do not use soil, such as vertical gardens

and sustainable greenhouse crops. They are also ideal for urban farming, rooftop gardens and enable plants to be grown in areas where space is an issue - a major problem in many cities.

“We are very proud to be participating in the Habitat III event,” added Peter Kuijpers, general manager of AkzoNobel’s chelates and micronutrients business.

“We are also working on a plan to educate the local municipality about care and maintenance so that the garden will continue to bring vitality to the area long after Habitat III ends. There are many opportunities for our micronutrient product family to offer valuable solutions to the rapid urbanization trend and we are committed to playing a key role in this.”

13

NEWS MAKE A DIFFERENCE MERCK, POLYONE TO DEVELOP

3D PLASTIC TECHNOLOGY FOR PACKAGING

M

erck and PolyOne Corporation have entered into a strategic partnership to develop a groundbreaking in-mould 3D (IM3D) plastic technology and start it in end-use markets including packaging and consumer electronics.

A patent application has been filed for IM3D for plastics applications. Merck already has achieved with similar 3D technology for printing on paper.

The human eye notices in the plastic a three-dimensional picture that looks to come out of the flat surface, however, the plastic itself is totally smooth and planar.

Numerous processing steps were previously needed to cause this depth effect in the polymer; now the 3D impression is created in just one step during the injection

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Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

molding process itself using the innovative technology from Merck. The striking effect turns packaging components such as caps and closures as well as plastic housings into characteristic eye-catchers.

“Our goal in the future years is to together unveil additional pioneering plastics technologies with pearlescent pigments,” said Michael Heckmeier, head of the pigments & functional materials business unit at Merck.

“With the IM3D technology from Merck, brand producers have an outstanding development technology at their disposal to set their quality products apart from the competition,” added Christoph Palm, VP and general manager, colour & additives EMEA and India at PolyOne.

NEW 3D PRINTING PROCESS CREATORS BAG

WACKER’S INNOVATION AWARD

WACKER Executive Board members Christian Hartel (left), Auguste Willems (2nd from right) and Rudolf Staudigl (right) with this year’s winners of the “Alexander Wacker Innovation Award” (from left to right): Dr. Ernst Selbertinger, Dr. Bernd Pachaly, Dr. Frank Achenbach and Dr. Maximilian Peter.

W

acker Chemie AG presents its “Alexander Wacker Innovation Award” to four researchers namely Dr Frank Achenbach, Dr Bernd Pachaly, Dr Maximilian Peter and Dr Ernst Selbertinger for their success of creating a new 3D printing process to produce silicone rubber parts.

Earlier, there was no developed industrial 3D printing technology accessible for silicones. That’s the reason the process created by the four Wacker researchers is considered as a turning point in additive manufacturing. This year’s €10,000 innovation award, now in its eleventh year at Wacker, focused on process innovation.

The ACEO technology created by the researchers utilizes a drop-on-demand method. The printer head deposits tiny silicone droplets on a substrate. In this way, the work piece is built up layer by layer. The silicone is formulated so that the droplets flow together before the curing process begins, activated by UV light. The silicone droplets and layers thus produce a

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

homogeneous work piece, which does not differ much from injection-moulded parts.

With the aid of water-soluble support materials, it is also possible to make parts with complex geometries, such as overhang materials and internal lattice structures.

The automotive and aerospace industries are now the primary clients for 3D. Right now, additive manufacturing is rising most rapidly in medical applications.

Bio modelling and tailored, customerspecific geometries are especially encouraging.

In these types of applications, silicones can display their favourable properties particularly well.

Silicones are heat resistant, flexible at low temperatures, transparent and biocompatible. They can furthermore be pigmented in any colour and have good damping properties.

Named after the company’s founder, the 10,000 “Alexander Wacker Innovation Award” substitutes between the categories of product innovation, process innovation and basic research.

15

NEWS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

EVONIK, HP TO DEVELOP NEW PLASTIC

POWDERS FOR 3D PRINTING

16

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

E

vonik Industries and HP Inc have partnered to develop new plastic powders for 3D printing. Evonik has developed and produced special plastic materials, which allow for the industrial production of high-tech components in using 3D printing technologies for years. Polyamide 12-based powders VESTOSINT prove with their high quality and processing capabilities, and the property profile of each powder is perfectly matched to the respective 3D printing technology.

The new PA-12 powder can be approved by the Food and Drug Administration for food contact. So, the use of additive manufacturing technologies in food production equipment components, which require flexibility due to limited quantities or unique, complex designs is conceivable. “Through the close partnership with HP and our active participation in the open platform program we anticipate further impetus in the development of new plastic powders for 3D printing use,� said Dr Matthias Kottenhahn, head of the business line high performance polymers of Evonik.

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

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EVENTS

8 – 9 November ASIAN SURFACTANTS CONFERENCE Location: Marina Bay Sands, Singapore Organised by: ICIS Conference Website: http://www.icisconference. com/asiansurfactants

8 – 11 November METAL EXPO Location : Moscow, Russia, Hall 75, VDNkHag Organised by: Metal Expo.

Website : http://www.metal-expo.ru/ en

The 6th Asian Surfactants Conference will provide essential information on market trends, insights and areas of growth, perspectives from key companies on the industry and their own challenges, and unbeatable networking opportunities.

The event focuses on a whole range of ferrous and non-ferrous products, equipment, and solutions for industry development. More than 500 companies from all over the world will exhibit in the event this year. Target audience are industry professionals - steel products users from the metal construction industry, heavy engineering, fuel and energy complex, transportation, logistics & steel trading.

11 – 13 November PAPEREX SOUTH INDIA Location: Chennai Trade Centre, Chennai, India Organised by: ITEI - International Trade and Exhibitions India Pvt. Ltd & Paper India Website: http://southindia.paperex.in/

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Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

The event focuses on the latest product innovations from all segments of the industry. It brings market leaders such as innovative small companies, offers inspiration, trends and lots of opportunity for exchange among colleagues from all over the world.

16 – 19 November IMME Location: Echo Park, Kolkata India Organised by: The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Website: http://www.immeindia.in/ index.php

01 - 03 December WORLD OF INDUSTRY Location: MMRDA Grounds, Mumbai Organised by: Hannover Milano Fairs India Pvt Ltd Website: http://www.win-india.com/

05 – 07 December

PUMPS & VALVES OMAN

Location: Oman International Exhibition Centre, Muscat, , Oman Organised by: Global Exhibitions & Conferences LLC Website: http://intexoman.com/index. php?pageid=3

The 13th International Mining & Machinery Exhibition, the largest Trade Fair dedicated to the mining industry is a 4 day event which showcases products like demand for minerals, as well as for mining services and shows the strengths of the sector in the country for minerals, metals & ores, plant, machinery & equipment industries.

Industrial Supply India is the only cross-industry trade show with its focus on interdisciplinary, cross-industry themes such as lightweight construction and design and the efficient use of materials. It is an excellent platform for subcontractors and suppliers of industrial components and materials to showcase their competence and technology strengths to OEMs and institutional buyers.

Pumps & Valves Oman is intended as a widespread showcasing platform for global and regional manufacturers, dealers, distributors and traders to come together and interact with industry leaders and to share knowledge about science and technology innovation, new products and market trends.

This will be achieved by display of products to local and regional chemical, petrochemical & processing industry, refineries, major oil and gas companies, water and waste water treatment solution providers, pharmaceutical industry, and power sectors.

06 – 08 December INTERNATIONAL METAL TECHNOLOGY TAIWAN (IMT TAIWAN) Location : Kaohsiung Exhibition Center, Kaohsiung Organised by: Kaigo Co Ltd Website: www.imttaiwan.com/main. php?lang=en

15 – 17 December NEPAL LAB – THE LAB EXPO Location: Bhrikuti Mandap Exhibition Hall - Kathmandu - Nepal Organised by: S D Promo Media Pvt Ltd Website: http://www.nepallab.com/

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

International Metal Technology Taiwan is a 3 day event being held from 6th December to the 8th December at the Kaohsiung Exhibition Center in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The event showcases Industrial Products.

Nepal Lab – The Lab Expo is the premier event for sustainable Laboratory, Scientific, Analytical, Biotechnology and Medical fraternity. Featuring three exhilarating days of unmatched networking opportunities, the event is an ideal venue to meet and qualify sales prospects from Nepal. The event offers a place for thousands to gather a targeted, qualified audience of active, influential laboratory professionals & trade suppliers.

19

EXPERT VIEWPOINT METALS & MINERALS

UNEARTHING THE ENORMOUS

SCOPE OF

COPPER

Navin Dalmia, Managing Director and CEO, D R Congo operations of Rubamin Limited digs up the mine of opportunities that copper has to offer to the industry. From industry trends, challenges to potentials, he talks about how Congo became a significant investment destination for Rubamin.

20

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

BY SHIVANI MODY Dynamics of copper and opportunities in Congo.

for the growing population, which will automatically push the demand further.

The total global demand for copper is 20 million tonnes. Nearly 50 percent of this demand is produced in China. Congo is blessed with much mineral availability and none of the mining companies can ignore the potential of Congo. Over 10 percent of the copper raw material is available in Congo. Further, 35 percent of the global cobalt demand is also met from Congo.

Rubamin produces copper blister/black copper in Congo.

Customer demands related to copper products.

Copper has a variety of chemical applications. Many of the applications of copper are in the form of metal as well as salts for the chemical industry. As far as the chemical application of copper is concerned it is used as a catalyst. People make copper acetates, which are used as a catalyst for organic reactions, which includes the rubber making and etching process. It also goes as a dyeing agent in textile industries, as a pigment in ceramic industry and is used in kraft paper for the purpose of printing. The other form of copper used is cuprous oxide, which is used as a fungicide,insecticides,colouring of glass among others.

Similarly copper sulphate is used in agriculture as micro-nutrients. It is also used as a catalyst and in dyes, leather, printing industry, to name a few. As a pigment it goes into the paint industry.

Sectors to witness growth in coming years Emerging markets, as well as the Asia Pacific markets, are focused on growing construction, infrastructure and residential building sectors. This will propel tremendous growth and opportunity for the ceramic industry in the coming few years.

Even automobile sector is seeing increased rubber applications, which will help improve demand for the raw materials.

Further, the growing population will automatically lead to the growth of textile and agro industry. These are the main sectors that are fuelling requirements

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

For all applications, customers globally seek consistent quality. The product, copper blister, does undergo refining before reaching the end users. Hence they look for the best possible purity. In some cases, customers also look for gold and silver, as they want to derive maximum value from the product. This is because copper in some of the countries, consists of gold and silver during exploration. But in the regions where we work, it is available in traces and hence not recoverable most of the time.

Overview about Rubamin Congo operations.

We are a 31-year old company – one of the largest producers of zinc oxide based in Gujarat, India. And we also produce molybednum and cobalt salts. In 2004, Rubamin FZC was started as a company in the Middle East (UAE). Rubamin FZC then made an investment in Congo, where we started a company named Rubamin Sarl.

Our Congo operations are more focused on pyro metallurgy metal chemistry. In India, we have a refinery to make cobalt metals and salts. This led us into exploring the potential in Congo. The initial aim was to source cobalt bearing raw material for our Indian operations.

Growth of the Rubamin Congo operations.

Initially we started our Congo operations by sourcing cobalt ores and concentrates.

During the process we discovered abundant availability and market potential for copper as well, since cobalt is available as a co-product/by product with copper There is abundant copper on the ground level as well as many copper mines in the region. One discussion led to another and soon we were dealing with copper as well. To start off, in 2008 we opened our first plant in Congo to make black copper.

This is not pure copper and needs to be further refined. Due to easy availability of electricity in the region, we started manufacturing black copper using the pyro metallurgical process. The product we make is copper blister, which is around 90 to 92 percent copper.

This is then exported mainly to China and other countries, where it is made into 99.99 percent copper. The final, pure copper has wide application and is used globally. For example it is used for household applications, manufacturing of cables, winding materials, refrigeration tubes, building materials, shipyards, car and train manufacturing.

Recycling for metal processes The recycling process is carried out by our Indian operations. Recycling is beneficial as the material comes back to the system and is not discarded. In cases where the material is discarded, we will be left with a huge stockpile in our storage areas.

Similarly we do recycling for cobalt as well.

In terms of zinc, we take the zinc ashes and residues, which undergoes recycling and refining. We use the hydro metallurgical process in India for recycling. The removal of all impurities using this process is a chemical route. We follow a process of roasting for removal of sulphur. After this treatment, we manufacture chemicals for the final material. These are not only unique and interesting processes, but are also environment-friendly.

Incorporating a sustainable approach As a company we focus on having environment-friendly processes and products. For our operations we follow the dry process, hence there is no use of harmful substances and no adverse impact therein. We have built processes to reduce noise pollution, air pollution as we collect the fumes from our operations.

Focus on R&D and Innovation We have a primary R&D centre in Congo supported by our India centre. For our production and processes, we maintain day-to-day monitoring of the quality as

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EXPERT VIEWPOINT METALS & MINERALS

well as focus on future development. We have a team of chemists, who ensure that R&D and proper analysis is an on-going activity. The R&D experiments are in terms of process change or modifications.

We first do the raw material processing and production in the lab scale setting.

Once proven, it is implemented on a largescale - actual production at the plant level.

R&D is important for us even while considering future development. Soon we will acquire few mines. It is these R&D activities and lab scale process facilities, which will help us in mineral exploration and material studies - decide on the treatment procedures, ideas as to how to carry out the activity of floatation of the ore etc. In these aspects we are a highly focused R&D company and it forms the back-bone of the company. It is the deep-rooted R&D culture of our Indian operations that we carry forward in the Congo operations.

R&D is also important in terms of recycling operations. The same recycling process is not applicable for all materials and it differs from material-to-material as the material is available from different refineries, different industries and has varied applications. Unless our R&D is accurate, we cannot take it to the plant level and the uncertainty of results does not deem well for any organization.

Challenges faced by the copper industry.

Lately the commodity market has taken a large hit because of the demand and supply

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Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

gap. On the whole, in the last one year, the demand for all the metals, including copper, has reduced overall. This has affected the pricing of copper, which has gone down from $7,000 per tonne on the London Metal Exchange to $4,500 per tonne.This is a challenging situation for the processing plants – with the process cost remaining the same. In turn, it has had an impact on the mineral prices as well, but not to a large extend. This is a major challenge for the global copper community.

At the same time, producers are not decreasing the production. A decrease in production should be able to balance the situation, but this has not been the case. In such an environment, the community will not be able to pull up the copper price and this issue can be resolved only by increase in demand.

On close examination, the current situation can be an opportunity in disguise.

This gives a chance for copper producers to implement other measures such as cost cutting, improve operational efficiency, the benefits of which will kick in once the commodity selling environment comes back to its original prices. All in all, pricing is definitely the gigantic challenge at hand.

Further in the metal industry there is a significant amount of uncertainty.

Companies have to bear with extreme conditions - both the boom and the lull period. In spite of the risks, copper as a metal provides enormous scope and potential for growth. For the non-ferrous industry it is a ‘darling’ product and has

always remained in short supply in the past.

Future growth and expansion plans for Congo operations.

The Congo journey of Rubamin has seen many twists and turns. When we started in 2004, as a company we never dreamed of sustaining for a long time. It was more of a temporary phase for us and we thought of surviving as long as the mineral exploration was moving along. But then we took the first step and set up our plant in 2008.

Then there was the recession period in 2008-9, which was a set back for the company. Fortunately, we decided to pull on rather than exit the business. We are thankful for the decision as 2011 onwards there has been an upward trend and business is moving ahead. Our copper metal production has grown multi-fold from 1,000 tonne to 18,000 tonne per year.

This is just one part of the growth story.

We plan to more than double our production capacity from 18,000 tonne to 40,000 to 50,000 tonne per year in the next three years. We are working very closely with the Government of Congo.

As part of our joint venture with the government we will get access to few mines.

This will allow us to set up new plants.

Currently we are doing the pyro metallurgy process. With the new plants we intend to follow a process that is more of a chemical route.

GREEN CHEMISTRY

Pictured at the White Dog Labs facility are (from left, bottom row) UD professor Maciek Antoniewicz, Bryan Tracy and Shawn Jones of White Dog Labs, and UD doctoral student Alan Fast, and (top row) Carrissa Wiedel of White Dog Labs, UD doctoral student Elli Carlson, and UD professor Eleftherios (Terry) Papoutsakis.

NEW BREW IN QUEST

FOR BIOFUEL

Mixotrophy twist leads researchers to higher yields, lower emissions.

Y

ou don’t have to be a beer lover to understand the chemistry behind new research emerging from two labs at the University of Delaware (UD) and their collaborators at White Dog Labs in New Castle, Delaware. But if you are, you might want to raise a toast to their latest brew.

The group is working with the same engine that produces beer – fermentation – drives the work now featured in a new article in Nature Communications. Also the product these researchers are delivering – acetone – comes with near-zero carbon emissions.

Researchers have identified a promising blend of bacteria and synthesis gas that, in laboratory tests, is producing much more acetone than other methods while avoiding the carbon dioxide emissions dilemma.

The acetone is a proof-of-concept project with value of its own, but it also could lead to significant advances in the quest to produce biofuels.

The work is done in two labs at UD – those of Eleftherios (Terry) Papoutsakis, the Unidel Eugene du Pont chair of chemical engineering and Maciek Antoniewicz, the

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Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

Centennial junior professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering – in partnership with White Dog Labs, a young biotechnology firm that is pursuing new ways of reducing carbon emissions and increasing efficiencies.

In typical fermentation, using one kind of fuel, “Only about two-thirds of the carbon ends up in the product and the other third goes to carbon dioxide,” said Elli Carlson, a doctoral student in Papoutsakis’ lab and one of the authors of the paper.

“That’s great for brewing – we get carbonation. But for our purpose, on an economical basis, we’re losing some of the mass we put in and it’s going into the atmosphere.”

The new quest started when Papoutsakis asked another doctoral student, Alan Fast, to try to calculate how well bacteria known as acetogens would do making biofuels.

Acetogens are anaerobic bacteria, which cannot grow in oxygenated environments.

They can take carbon dioxide and hydrogen gas and turn them into chemicals like acetone, butanol or ethanol. “Carbon dioxide is not very chemically active. Only

specialized bacteria and processes can take it and fix it into molecules,” said Fast, a co-author on the article. In this study, researchers tested how the bacteria known as Clostridium ljungdahlii would do with two sources of fuel – sugars and synthesis gas – in the fermentation process.

“This is the first demonstration that takes place. We get both the increase in yield and consumption of all the carbon,” said Shawn Jones, director of molecular and microbiology at White Dog Labs.

This “mixotrophy” is broadly applicable, too, the study showed.

The science is solid, said White Dog Labs CEO Bryan Tracy, who has a doctorate in chemical and biological engineering and serves as chair of the Delaware Sustainable Chemistry Alliance.

“This collaboration means we’re able to do a lot more fundamental analysis that we wouldn’t do as a commercial entity,” Tracy said.

Also White Dog Labs is on a fast track to scale and commercialize the technology, he added.

W

ashington State University researchers have developed a way to practically separate lignin from wood, a breakthrough that could provide new sources of lignin for advanced renewable fuel and advanced materials applications.

The work is featured on the cover of the journal Green Chemistry.

Lignin is the second most abundant renewable carbon source on Earth. It is in all vascular plants, where it forms cell walls and provides plants with rigidity. Lignin allows trees to stand, gives vegetables their firmness and makes up about 20-35 percent of the weight of wood.

The material holds great promise as a precursor for biobased materials and fuels, but it is also notoriously difficult to break apart.

RESEARCHERS MAKE BREAKTHROUGH IN

BIOBASED MATERIALS

The wood products industry has been struggling for a century to make valuable market products from lignin. The material is usually separated from wood during papermaking and biorefining processes, but these often contaminate the lignin and significantly alter its chemical and physical properties, decreasing its value.

So most lignin is burned to produce fuel and electricity.

Led by Xiao Zhang, associate professor in the Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, the WSU researchers used a new type of solvent to separate the lignin from wood without altering its key properties. The researchers were able to extract lignin from poplar and Douglas fir samples in high yields. The lignin products have high purity and distinct characteristics.

The researchers are still working to understand the solvent’s precise mechanism for separating the lignin. They are exploring new applications for this type of lignin and are in discussion with industry partners regarding scaling up production.

“Finding a way to extract a large quantity of lignin with limited chemical modifications from woody biomass can provide a breakthrough in realizing lignin’s potential,’’ said Zhang.

The work was supported through a National Science Foundation career grant and the US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture, administered through the Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance (NARA).

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

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GREEN CHEMISTRY CHEMIST AND CHEMICAL COMPANY CREATE NEW ‘GREEN’

METAL COATING A Brock University chemist and a Burlington chemical company have patented a green coating system that protects metals against corrosion.

Organic chemistry instructor Paul Zelisko 26

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

Organic chemistry instructor Paul Zelisko and Vanchem Performance Chemicals created technology they named Greencoat.

O

rganic chemistry instructor Paul Zelisko and Vanchem Performance Chemicals created technology they named Greencoat, which uses silicon rather than heavy metals to bind coatings to both metal surfaces and paint. The team received the patent for Greencoat silanebased pretreatment in the United States, with Canadian and European patents pending.

“It’s a water-based system that, for all intents and purposes, has reactive sand in it,” said Zelisko. “If the material happens to get flushed out or it leaks, you’re effectively releasing sand and water into the environment.”

Traditional coating systems use heavy metals – such as zinc phosphate, iron phosphate or chrome – to enable the inorganic and organic substances to be able to stick to one another. Phosphates released into the environment causes various algal blooms in lakes and rivers, damaging aquatic plant and animal life.

Also used in the process are solvents – substances used to dissolve other substances – that have in the past polluted the environment.

Unlike conventional methods, Zelisko and Vanchem’s system involves a two-step process. First, a base layer is applied to the metal. Water mixed with silica, which is basically sand, is sprayed onto the metal, creating a chemical bond with the metal.

This cleans the metal but also deposits silica onto the surface. This coating not only protects the metal but acts as a primer for the second layer, which is designed to bond well to paint.

The second layer contains polysilicates, the basis of which is silicon, “the second-most abundant element in the Earth’s crust,” said a company report. Silicates can be modified to stick to both metals and paints.When

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

the industry wants to determine whether or not a coating product is effective, the treated metal sheets are put into salt-spray chambers, where a fine mist of salt water is continually sprayed onto the metal until it starts to show signs of corrosion. The industry standard is around one thousand hours, said Zelisko. “Our coatings ranged anywhere from 1,800 to 3,000 hours, in some cases almost three times as good as what the industry requires.”

When coming in contact with metal, salty water acts as a type of catalyst, enabling oxygen to mix with metal, resulting in corrosion.The Brock-Vanchem innovation is a sign of the times, said Ian McLeod, vice president of Vanchem Performance Chemicals.

“The industry has switched over to greener technologies; they want to get rid of the heavy metals,” he said. “Large corporations and companies want to be environmental stewards.

They want to be able to say, ‘look at what we’re doing, we’ve replaced the old zinc phosphate technology with a new silanebased technology that doesn’t have any environmental impacts.’”

McLeod says that the initial price of a ‘green’ coating may be more expensive than a zinc phosphate one. But, factoring in environmental disposal, maintenance and other costs associated with non-green coatings, companies could save money in the long run. The Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) supported the research partnership through its OCE Collaborative Research Programme.

“This innovation is on track to demonstrate some real economic benefits for Ontario and is a great example of what can happen when academia and industry work together,” said Gillian Sheldon, OCE’s business development manager.

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GREEN CHEMISTRY

TINY CRYSTALS, NANOWIRES COULD JOIN FORCES

TO SPLIT WATER

A scanning electron microscope image, with colour added, shows vanadium oxide nanowires coated with tiny semiconductor crystals called quantum dots. This combination of materials has shown promise for splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen fuel, which could be used to power cars, buses, boats and other modes of transportation. Credit: Christopher Milleville 28

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

S

cientists are pursuing a tiny solution for harnessing one of the world’s most abundant sources of clean energy: Water.

By marrying tiny crystals called quantum dots to miniature wires, the researchers are developing new materials that show promise for splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen fuel, which could be used to power cars, buses, boats and other modes of transportation.

“Hydrogen is seen as an important source of green energy because it generates water as the only byproduct when it’s burned,” said chemist David Watson, PhD from University at Buffalo, one of the project’s lead researchers. “The hybrid materials we’re developing have the potential to support the cheap and efficient production of hydrogen gas.”

Watson, professor and chair of chemistry in the UB College of Arts and Sciences, has received a $550,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to pursue the work. UB physics professor Peihong Zhang, PhD, is also a partner on the research, which is part of a larger $1.4 million NSF-funded project that teams UB with Texas A&M University, Binghamton University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to develop the new catalysts for splitting water.

The project is funded through the NSF’s programme, which supports the White House’s Materials Genome Initiative for Global Competitiveness by accelerating the discovery of new materials.

A reaction powered by the sun The materials under development are catalysts designed to harvest sunlight to drive the chemical reaction that divides water into oxygen and hydrogen.

They are formed from miniscule wires of vanadium oxide that are combined with various metal ions, then glazed with a coating of semiconductor quantum dots.

When they’re exposed to the sun, these hybrid materials generate two critical ingredients for splitting water: a free-floating electron and what chemists call an electronic hole (the absence of an electron where there would normally be one). Both the electron and the hole are used in the multi-step chemical reaction that converts water into oxygen and hydrogen gas.

So far, the research team successfully created materials that efficiently produce and separate both a free electron and a hole, though the scientists have yet to demonstrate that their hole can be used successfully in the water-splitting reaction. From an industry perspective, the nanowire-quantum dot approach has benefits.

Both the nanowires and quantum dots can be easily produced in large quantities from materials that are abundant in the crust of the earth, and both are “tunable,” Watson said.

“It’s a very flexible approach — a versatile platform for converting sunlight and water into fuel,” Watson said.

The scientists will use the new NSF funding to support an exploration of the best combinations of quantum dots and nanowires. In concert with synthesizing new materials, they will computationally predict which structures will have the best electronic properties.

“We are trying to put together some fairly complex machinery to mimic photosynthesis performed by plants, which use sunlight to split water and make energy. The machinery will be built from these nanowire and quantum dot blocks, using them almost as Legos,” said Sarbajit Banerjee, PhD, professor of chemistry at Texas A&M University. “Calculations performed on supercomputers will guide us on how to rapidly put these blocks together.”

The research was seeded by a Scialog grant from the Research Corporation for Science Advancement, an Arizona-based foundation devoted to the advancement of science.

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

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GREEN CHEMISTRY

A

voiding the worst consequences of climate change by reducing global carbon emissions to as close to zero as possible is one of humanity’s most pressing challenges. The University of California San Diego has launched the Deep Decarbonization Initiative to do just that.

And they plan to do so in the real worldwhere costs matter.

The initiative is a collaborative effort of UC San Diego faculty from across campus working at the intersection of science, technology and policy. The goal is to understand not just how energy systems function, but also how policy and social movements can transform energy and protect the planet.

UC San Diego researchers are working to radically re-invent the electric power grid, one of the central challenges to decarbonization. “UC San Diego is stepping up to help guide the difficult process of decarbonizing world energy and transportation systems in a way that is inclusive and comprehensive, and also feasible,” said UC San Diego chancellor Pradeep Khosla.

Deep Decarbonization Research & Education Through the Deep Decarbonization Initiative, UC San Diego will leverage its tremendous research strengths across campus to serve as an academic hub, connecting students and faculty who are working on issues relevant for decarbonization from different perspectives.

Leading the initiative are George Tynan of the Jacobs School of Engineering and David Victor of the School of Global Policy and Strategy. Tynan, an associate dean and professor of mechanical engineering, is the head of the PISCES Research Programme focusing on nuclear fusion as an energy source. Victor is a political science and policy expert, and co-directs the Laboratory on International Law and Regulation that studies how international laws actually work in the real world. “I could see us building a new kind of model that allows us to understand not just how

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Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

technically you decarbonize, but also the social and political constraints and opportunities,” Victor said. “UC San Diego also has a phenomenal micro-grid that is a demonstration case for some of the world’s most interesting and advanced energy systems.”

“How do we drive the costs of low-carbon or zero-carbon energy technologies down to the point where they become competitive with, or perhaps even cheaper than, the fossil fuels? That is one of the challenges in front of the engineers,” Tynan said.

What exactly is Deep Decarbonization?

Deep decarbonization refers to the process of moving to a global energy economy that emits zero-or close to zero-carbon into the atmosphere. Today’s global energy economy is primarily powered by the combustion of fossil fuels that, in addition to particles and other pollutants, eject carbon dioxide or CO2 into the atmosphere. And CO2 is a climate-change forcing gas.

“We have to meet the demands of humanity - to meet the energy demands of 9 or 10 billion human beings-and we have to do so in a way that doesn’t emit carbon at a rate that’s unacceptable,” Tynan said.

As part of the Deep Decarbonization Initiative, faculty members from across the UC San Diego campus will bring their expertise to help governments and experts around the world meet that daunting challenge.

For example, nanoengineer Ying Shirley Meng of the Jacobs School and Oleg Shpyrko of the Department of Physics work together through the Sustainable Power and Energy Center to solve key technical challenges in generating and storing energy. Their energy-storage research has implications for many areas including electric vehicles, wind turbines and wearable power devices.

At the Center for Energy Research, currently led by Jacobs School professors Farhat Beg, Carlos Coimbra and Jan Kleissl, teams of researchers are advancing fusion energy, solar-energy forecasting and

advanced energy storage. They are also developing fuel cells, which are devices that produce energy through chemical reactions that don’t result in as much pollution as burning coal or gasoline.

Stephen Mayfield of the Division of Biological Sciences leads Food & Fuel for the 21st Century, a research unit on campus developing innovative and sustainable solutions for renewable-energy production using green plants and algae.

Mayfield, a world-renowned researcher in biofuel production, is also director of the California Center for Algae Biotechnology.

Verification will also play a key role in emerging global carbon-emission reduction efforts. For decades, researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography have been leaders in measuring concentrations of CO2, trace gases and aerosols that contribute to global warming, led by atmospheric scientists Ralph Keeling, Veerabhadran Ramanathan, Kim Prather and Ray Weiss. Keeling is director of the Scripps CO2 Programme, home of the famous Keeling Curve that continues to track carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere.

“One goal is for everyone to learn about how other researchers in other disciplines think about what’s going on in the world,” Victor said at the kickoff for initiative’s seminar series, where Meng discussed challenges and opportunities in electrochemical energy storage. Future seminar speakers include Mayfield, Jennifer Burney of Global Policy and Strategy, Cliff Kubiak of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and William Torre of the Center for Energy Research, among others.

In addition, the initiative’s approach is to not only help scholars at UC San Diego understand how other disciplines work, but also to engage with businesses, policy leaders and the community.

“We’re talking about changing investment patterns by trillions of dollars a year in the energy system, over many decades. That has to be done with a sense of reality. That’s what we’re looking to accomplish,” Victor added.

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SECTOR VIEW SOLVENTS

ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS + DEMAND = ECO-FRIENDLY SOLVENTS

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Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

BY DEBARATI DAS

T

he role of solvents has significantly changed the industrial processes by becoming an invaluable part of various manufacturing processes including printing ink, paints & coatings, adhesives, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and many more.

By definition, solvent is a liquid with the ability to dissolve, suspend or extract other materials making it possible to process, apply, clean or separate materials. However, modern manufacturing is constantly demanding for better categories of solvents best suited for various industrial applications.

S

olvents form an important link in the manufacturing process.

But with the rising demand for better quality solvents, there has also been a subsequent rise in the demand for ecofriendly solvents from the industry. And this is why manufacturers are stepping up to change the entire equation of solvent manufacturing.

Rising environmental concerns are pushing the use of bio & green solvents to reduce the impact on the environment.

This demand is further being accelerated by the rising crude oil prices where consumers are trying to reduce the dependency on non-renewable resources such as crude oil, coal, and natural gas. With various environmental laws and acts such as Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH) and Clean Air Act making it increasingly important for manufacturers to adopt organic processes in manufacturing, toxicity and high volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions from conventional solvents are becoming a major concern for the industry. Hence, solvents with lesser VOCs coupled with renewable sources as their feedstock are fast being accepted in highly regulated countries like North America and Europe. Substitutes of solvents with other less harmful alternatives such as the usage of waterbased and powder-based systems in the paints & coatings application is also being preferred in the global market.

“The global solvents market continues to grow, trending towards performance products with lower environmental impact that meet stringent regulatory standards,” said Graham van’t Hoff, executive vice president, Shell Chemicals.

Responding to this market demand, Shell Chemicals recently launched it next-generation, high-purity paraffinic fluids made from gas-to-liquids (GTL) products, becoming the first organisation to offer a globally-available portfolio of natural gas-based fluids and solvents for the chemicals industry. This latest offering is yet another way that Shell uses gas, instead of crude oil, as a feedstock to make and supply buildingblock petrochemicals.

Global Industry Analysis The global industrial solvents market is a mature market, which coupled with R&D, is expected to witness steady growth in coming years. The growth of the solvent industry will come from the growing demand from pharmaceuticals and paints and coatings industry.

Globally, paints and coatings is the largest application segment for the solvents industry and is further witnessing high growth due to the outburst of construction activities in emerging markets of China, India and Brazil.

Industrial solvents, which are primarily used as a dissolution agent in various industries account for approximately 48 percent of the total industrial solvents consumed. Solvent application for cleaning and degreasing accounts for 24 percent of the market share, followed by purification and other applications.

Rapid industrialisation in Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe and in Latin America is expected to drive the global industrial solvents market. Asia-Pacific will remain the 33

SECTOR VIEW SOLVENTS largest market for the solvent industry.

Construction and automobile sector will further thrust the demand for solvents in this region. However, the growth of this market is seriously threatened by legal regulations and the growing environmental awareness of end-consumers.

On the other hand, North America and Europe, which are the mature markets for solvents, is soon expected to reach saturation. These markets will however be driven by green initiatives and regulations.

Market Dynamics The market has a wide range of solvents in solid, liquid or gaseous form. However, they can be broadly be classified into conventional solvents and organic solvents. Conventional solvents include glycol ethers, hydrocarbons, acetate esters, alcohols, chlorinated and ketones.

Some solvents have been found to have high amount of toxicity and can cause various health hazards. On the other hand, organic solvents are carbon-based molecular structure chemicals, which are used to dissolve material to extract one material from other and to create solution.

These chemicals can be categorised into synthetic and natural solvents. Natural solvents are derived from living organisms and synthetic solvents need chemical reactions of other compounds in order to be created. They are further divided into hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons, aliphatic (non-aromatic) and carbon compounds with several functional groups such as alcohols, carbonyls, halocarbons, and ethers.

Organic solvents like aliphatic including alkenes are used for dye, oil extraction, paint, adhesives, pharmaceuticals and polymerization. Aromatics are used for industrial applications such as adhesives, paints, printing inks, extraction, insecticides and degreasing. Carbonyls

including esters are used for end-user applications including decaffeination, paint diluents and activation, glue, food flavouring, and circuit board & electronics cleaners. Alcohol-based organic solvents are used in resins, dyes, lubricants and oils.

Alcohol-based organic solvent is the fastest growing product segment. Hydrocarbon and chlorinated solvents are likely to grow at sluggish rate due to its toxic effects on atmosphere and hazardous nature. Soy oil and glycol based solvents is also expected to witness huge growth.

Recently, the Dow Chemical Company (Dow) and SAFECHEM Europe GmbH launched a new solvent, SENSENE, which is based on an inherently biodegradable modified alcohol, has a low aquatic toxicity and has proved efficient for high-quality textile cleaning. The solvent can dissolve and remove both oil and water-based contaminations.

“Initially I was sceptical about whether modified alcohols would work in textile cleaning. But the results of the extensive cleaning trials have convinced me. The new formulation could be a breakthrough for modified alcohols in textile cleaning,” said Dr Manfred Huppertz, industry expert and former head of research & development at BUFA. Keeping up with the demand for ecofriendly solvents, DOW Industrial solutions also launched an ultra low VOC coalescing agent, DOWANOL™ LoV 485 Glycol Ether, for architectural coatings.

The new solvent also exhibits excellent coalescing properties with acrylic, styreneacrylic, and vinyl-acrylic latex binders and has very low odour.

Organic or conventional, either ways growing environmental issues and volatile nature of key raw material prices is the key challenge for the industry. This has led the industry to shift its focus towards bio-

based solvents which are environmentally friendly.

Bio-based solvents are increasingly being used in paints and coatings to dissolve binders and colours and provide consistency.

Emergence Of Green Solvents The demand for green or bio-based solvents is witnessing a constant rise due to the ever rising concerns over VOC emissions. Due to its low toxicity, low miscibility, higher boiling point, less odour, and easy recycling process, green or biosolvents are finding a growing demand from various industries globally. According to Transparency Market Research (TMR) report, the global green and bio-based solvents market is expected to expand at a 7.2 percent CAGR between 2015 and 2023 and will be valued at $8.05 billion by 2023.

Green and bio-based solvents are effective substitutes for the conventional solvents.

These solvents are made from corn, sugar, beet root, and other such ingredients. The usage is expanding to various industries such as printing inks, commercial and domestic cleaning, paints and coatings, adhesives and sealants, and cosmetics.

However, while the availability of low cost petroleum-based substitutes can threaten the market’s growth, high cost of manufacturing green and bio-based solvents is a major challenge for the market.

According to the report, bio-based ethanol is the largest segment, while methyl soyate is expected to be the fastest growing segment in the future due to its increasing usage in paints & coatings, printing inks, and cleaning applications.

As per reports, Asia-Pacific will remain the strongest market, especially in China and India. Thailand and Malaysia is also expected to drive the demand for green & bio-based solvents in the region.

Growth will also be recorded Latin America due to the significant demand from Brazil and Argentina. US, which is the second largest market for organic solvents, is expected to witness nominal growth due to saturated solvent market and increase in stringent environment regulations. The burgeoning construction and building industries in Saudi Arabia and Qatar is also likely to have a positive influence in the Middle East & Africa organic solvents market growth.

Overall, the move from petroleum derived substitutes to eco-friendly solvents will significantly expand the market potential.

Be it conventional, bio or water-based solvents, the key aim of the solvent manufacturers today is to come up with alternatives which will decrease the harmful impact on the environment.

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Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

SECTOR VIEW SOLVENTS VOC

STRICTER

ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS WILL DRIVE DEMAND FOR EFFECTIVE SOLVENT-BASED LOW-VOC

ALTERNATIVES

© Granville Homes Inc. 36

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

BY PRASAD KULKARNI, SIDDHARTH JAISWAL, NAMITA SHETTY

I

n place since the 1970s, regulations limiting Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) emissions in paint & coating products are getting stricter.

Enforced by agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the US and legislations like the Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH) in the EU, they are meant to limit the use of organic chemical compounds that are harmful to human health and contribute significantly to atmospheric ozone depletion as well as global carbon emissions.

Growing Demand for Low-VOC Paints Will Drive the Low-VOC Solvents Market The global paints and coatings industry (worth over $135 billion) is one of the largest sources of man-made volatile organic compounds globally, prompting strict regulatory frameworks (particularly in industrialized regions) to limit its impact.

Besides government regulations, concerns over the effects of global warming and shifting consumer preferences toward ‘greener’ alternatives are also driving demand for low VOC paints and coatings over recent years, especially for indoor architectural applications.

This shift will invariably affect allied industries — particularly the paint solvents industry — creating a possible windfall for manufacturers of low-VOC solvent alternatives.

While the paints & coatings industry was their biggest customer in 2015, accounting for over 50 percent their total business, the global solvents market has been slowing down in recent years. Regulatory pressure forced paint manufacturers to

shy away from solvent-based to waterbased low-VOC formulations. Suppliers in growing markets like China and Latin America are under pressure as well, with several countries gearing up to formalize regulations related to VOCs in paints.

With the US and EU expected to enforce additional restrictive regulations in order to limit VOCs over the next five years, solvent manufacturers are now hardpressed to develop alternative technologies with comparable performance.

While most players are wary of the new regulations, this could be a huge market opportunity for alternative solvents that boast lower ecological and toxicological profiles.

Current Low-VOC Solutions May Fall Short of Meeting Inevitable Demand Solvent suppliers are under growing pressure to cater to the growing demand for low-VOC raw materials in the paints and coatings industry.

In a bid to regain the market share they’ve lost to water-based technologies, solvent manufacturers are developing and deploying products with properties that are similar (or comparable to) traditional solvents.

• Low/No-VOC solvents: To meet stricter VOC standards, solvent manufacturers like Dow have focused on developing low/no-VOC versions of their traditional solvents.

These products possess properties and application characteristics similar to conventional solvents. Besides being cheaper than conventional solvents, low/no-VOC solvents are designed to be consumed by paint/coating formulators while using existing production equipment.

• Bio-solvents: Bio-solvents are developed

using renewable raw materials as their feedstock, and they have lower VOC emissions as compared to typical solvents.

Although bio-solvents have been available for the past ten to fifteen years, and some have even seen commercial success in niche markets, the industry is still underdeveloped. Most of the world’s large chemical corporations do not sell biosolvents, and only niche industrial solvent manufacturers such as Myriant and TBF Environmental Technology offer bio-based solvents.

Solvent Manufacturers Need to Focus on Rapid Development and Commercialization of Low-VOC Solvent Technologies While a step in the right direction, paints/ coatings formulated using current lowVOC technologies have some drawbacks.

Issues such as visible brush marks (they tend to dry faster than conventional solventbased paints) and plasticizing make traditional solvent-based systems more appealing to paint/coatings consumers over non-solvent based technologies, and manufacturers offering improved lowVOC solvent-based system could recoup their markets. Manufacturers need to increase their research and development efforts in solvent-based low-VOC offerings, with a focus on enhancing product properties that make them comparable to conventional solvents.

While it would require considerable investment to improve on current performance and features, solvent manufacturers that fully commercialize new and improved offerings within the next 5-10 years would be in a prime position to capitalize on the inevitable demand for low-VOC solvent alternatives.

Authors: Prasad Kulkarni is Senior Manager, Business Research & Advisory practice at Aranca and currently heads the Chemicals and Oil & Gas sector.

Siddharth Jaiswal is Assistant Manager for Chemicals sector at Aranca’s Business Research and Advisory practice.

Namita Shetty is a Senior Consultant at Aranca’s Business Research and Advisory practice.

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

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FEATURE SILICONES IN AUTO INDUSTRY

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DIFFERENT FACETS OF SILICONES Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

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he next gen automotives will be governed by low weight, high strength materials and silicones fit the bill. More and more automotive manufacturers are exploring the opportunities that silicones has to offer and are increasingly replacing metal parts with silicones to make vehicles lighter, faster yet sturdier for the future.

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FEATURE SILICONES IN AUTO INDUSTRY

BY DEBARATI DAS

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he dynamics of the automotive industry is being driven by rising environmental concerns which demands for lightweight, fuel efficient vehicles. Several global regulations are also becoming more stringent by the day to keep environment at check. Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) in the US requires manufacturers to improve the cars’ miles per gallon (MPG) from 25 MPG to 35.5 MPG. The European automotive industry is under pressure to achieve fuel economy requirement of 5 L/100 km and the trend among OEMs is to miniaturise their products or use lighter materials to bring down the overall weight of the automobiles. In this industry, every single ounce counts!!

With this, the automotive manufacturers are turning towards silicone which is not just lighter and sturdier than other materials but also has superior properties like high resistance to heat, chemicals, ultraviolet rays and corrosion.

While silicone is becoming an important replacement material in various sealing, gasketing, hosing and electrical & electronic applications in the automotive market, manufacturers are looking for more ways to incorporate this light weight material in other automotive parts.

“Silicones are increasingly being used in several sectors such as the automotive, health-care, lighting and electronics industries. There are two reasons for this: on the one hand, material requirements are rising steadily. On the other, standard 40

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materials are reaching their limits. In order to develop and produce innovative products, the industry needs highperformance materials such as silicones,” said Robert Gnann, head of Wackers’s silicones business division. “Due to their unique physical and chemical properties which can be combined in several ways and their excellent processability, silicones have become indispensable in many industries.”

Market overview According to a Frost & Sullivan report, the silicone market earned revenues of $2.59 billion in 2015 and estimates to reach $4.06 billion by 2021. Driving on the robust automotive production growth in China and India, Asia Pacific presents a huge growth opportunity for silicone market in this region. However, the sluggish automotive growth in Europe and North America will also register limited growth of silicone market in the automotive sectors of this region. According to F&S report, while Europe’s automotive production CAGR is expected to increase from 1.7 percent in 2014 to 2.7 percent in 2021, North America is expected to register a CAGR of only 1.2 percent between 2011 to 2021.

Exploring silicone usage While silicone is registering exponential usage in electronics, construction and healthcare sectors, automotive industry has embraced silicone for its dynamic properties which is changing the science

of automotive manufacturing altogether.

The need for lower carbon emissions and lightweighting has made silicones right material to adhere the stringent regulations. Silicone, in various forms ie. elastomers, fluids, resins, gels, etc is being tried out extensively to be made into advantageous alternatives of various automotive parts.

There has been a rising use of silicones in under-the-hood applications like replacement of metal bolts, rivets, etc.

Smithers Rapra Market Intelligence points out that the global market for silicone elastomers, which was about 391 thousand tonnes in 2015, is expected to increase at a CAGR of 6.1 percent, to 558 thousand tonnes in 2021.

Electronic applications in automotive is continuously becoming complex to meet the demand for increased performance and reliability. These applications have to perform under harsh environmental conditions and high temperatures under the bonnet. This induces stress and increases the possibilities of component failure. Mechanical stress from vibrations in engine and road conditions, chemical and oil attack in and around the engine compartment, water and humidity are some of the other constant threats. Hence, protection of electronic application is a growing concern.

Silicone gels in the form of a soft cured elastomer helps provide extensive environmental protection and also

© Bluestar Silicones International

absorb potentially damaging vibrations.

“Elastomers are often applied to seal or to protect something. So any permeation of aggressive chemical compounds including water and oxygen - can’t be blocked. On the other hand ventilation is possible with silicone in contrast to other elastomers,” said Dr Dieter Wrobel, a corporate fellow at Momentive.

Hybrid silicone gels are also being used to incorporate a degree of thermal conductivity and dissipate heat from the component to a suitable heat sink. The other advantages of silicone gel is that it can be removed without damaging the PCB or electronics, is useful for reworking very expensive components and low viscosities, is simple to use mix ratios, and ensures fast, efficient and error free production.

These gels are widely being used for encapsulating and sealing sensors and electronic control units and LED encapsulation. Silicone Adhesive Sealants are also widely being used for sealing applications under the bonnet where the temperature is high. These sealants can effectively withstand high temperatures and be used to seal fuel flow control units, control vibration of large electronic components, dissipate heat and seal various electronic enclosures.

“Hard-soft composites are getting more and more important. The bonding of silicone towards metals or other high temperature thermoplasts is quite challenging. As silicones are always used under extreme Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

conditions that often bring the material to its limits, it is essential to understand both the physics and the chemistry of silicones to be able to further improve their already outstanding properties,” said Dr Martin Bortenschlager, technical manager, rubber solutions, Wacker Chemie.

extensively being used in a wide range of applications like, airbags, engine gaskets, headlamps, ignition cables, ht cables, grommets, radiator seals, performance hoses, vibration dampening, shock absorbers, spark plug boots, ventilation flaps etc.

LED lighting is a significant part of any automotive. Optically clear silicone gels are extensively being used in manufacturing LED modules to offer protection and improve light output and efficiency.

Wacker introduced a new liquid silicone rubber, Elastosil® LR 3016/65, designed especially for automotive engineering use.

It exhibits enhanced media resistance and can retain important material properties even when in contact with hot motor oil for long periods of time.

Dow Corning recently launched Dow Corning 40-001 additive, which is used in LED lighting for consumer electronics, automotive headlamp lenses and exterior lighting. This advanced liquid siloxane additive has improved flame retardancy (FR) while retaining high clarity with minimal haze, and has no impact on tensile strength or modulus.

Silicone rubber: With increased performance of automobiles come increasing amount of heat generation.

Silicone rubber provides strength, resistance and durability needed by automotive applications today. Silicone rubber can withstand high temperature ranging from 230°C to -60°C extending the life of automotive parts. It has also proved to have resistance to rain, wind, salt, abrasion, ultraviolet radiation and chemicals. All these properties have made silicone the material of choice among growing number of automotive manufacturers.

Silicone rubber is

The new silicone grade can be made into O-rings and other seals quickly and easily by injection molding. Silicone Pastes: can be used as lubricants and sealing aids for sealing parts and connections that can be disassembled. They have a noncuring, pasty consistency which is largely unaffected by temperature, permitting use over a broad temperature range.

These pastes are water resistant, water repellent, oxidation resistant, hence offering long-term resistance to atmospheric influences by forming a protective layer. They are odourless, low toxicity and radiation resistant. They also exhibit good lubricity and have longer shelf life. The potential of silicone is immense and researches across the world are still exploring the possibilities that silicone has to offer to make next generation automobiles lighter, faster, eco-efficient and safer.

Note: Some of the quotes have been sourced from Silicone Elastomer World summit, to be held in Germany - http://www.elastomer-forum.com/silicone-elastomers

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INNOVATION RESINS

SAVE ENERGY OR INCREASE

PRODUCTION SPEED

WITH URALAC® EASYCURE POLYESTER RESINS

Heavy Machinery Cranes © iStock.com - Xijian

We all know that climate change is a reality. DSM, the global science-based company active in health, nutrition and materials, sees sustainability not only as an opportunity but as a long term business focus. Over the last five years DSM developed a resin portfolio for powder coatings, named Uralac®EasyCure. This product range has a lower carbon foot print and can be cured much faster or at lower temperatures than traditional powder coatings – with the appearance and properties of traditional powder coatings. Recently DSM launched the Uralac®EasyCure low bake/ fast cure matte Architectural1 HAA system, Uralac®EasyCure P 3223 & P 3228. These new resins can offer substantial commercial advantages for example for heavy machinery and architectural component manufacturers.

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Full range including super durable “We developed the first Uralac®EasyCure polyester resins to answer the market need for low bake/fast cure resins” said Marten Houweling, global product manager at DSM’s Powder Coating Resins unit.

“Then we continued developing different outdoor durable levels and matte solutions.

The new Uralac®EasyCure P 3223 & P 3228 dry blend polyesters offer a unique combination of coating benefits delivering good appearance, long term outdoor durability, non-blooming, high gloss consistency and reliable storage stability.”

Up to 50 percent faster curing times The new resins are good news for metal coating producers whose customers include heavy machinery manufacturers.

One of the common bottlenecks in heavy machinery production is the curing process after components have been coated or painted.

In the past a larger oven or more ovens were the only solutions to these bottlenecks when powder coatings were used, but these solutions are expensive and are often even unworkable due to lack of space in the factory.

Now, heavy machinery manufacturers can keep the same ovens. They just need to change their type of powder coating. With the fast cure aspect of these new resins they can reduce their curing times, typically from 12-10 minutes to just 6-5 minutes.

Which implies a higher production output.

Contact: Marten Houweling, Global Product Manager, DSM Coating Resins.

Up to 30 percent gas usage savings Alternatively, the heavy machine manufacturer can keep the same curing time and lower the oven temperature, which can save up to 30 percent on gas usage and energy costs. Typical curing at 180/200ºC for 12 minutes can now be switched to curing at 160ºC for 12 minutes.

Ideal for more than just heavy machinery Using a powder coating based on the Uralac®EasyCure resins also allows a wider range of parts to be processed. In the case of parts of a similar type, for example with very thin or very thick substrates, the lower peak temperature needed for powder coatings of this kind significantly reduces the risk of discolouration. Lower cure temperatures also open up new applications for the powder coating process. Metal substrates which, for functional reasons, cannot be exposed to high temperatures or complete assemblies which also have restrictions on their peak temperature can now be coated using these Uralac®EasyCure systems.

New business opportunities for coating manufacturers Powder coating manufacturers that offer products based on this new resins will have independent proof that they can help their customers either save money or increase productivity. “Even better, the new resins have a much lower carbon footprint when replacing solvent or water based systems – as calculated by the prescribed

ISO guidelines - so it enables coating manufacturers to answer the growing demand for more eco-friendly solutions, as showed in figure 1.

The coating manufacturers who adopt the new low bake/faster cure resins today will be in prime position to capitalize on future legislation tomorrow. There is already growing awareness of eco issues and climate change in the coating market,” continued Houweling. “And this awareness has created a clear global market trend towards powder coatings that can cure at lower temperatures or faster.

DSM has, for decades, pioneered sustainable solutions in all its activities and has Life Cycle Analysis methodologies that enable accurate eco-performance comparisons of different products. This is one of the reasons DSM has been named by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index each year for the past 13 years as one of the global leaders in sustainable solutions.

Why does DSM focus so much on sustainability?

“We believe that achieving sustainability means simultaneously pursuing economic performance, environmental footprint and social responsibility, in other words, creating value on the three dimensions of People, Planet and Profit simultaneously,” said Houweling. “This is the ‘Triple P’ philosophy and we intend to follow it for many years, since it leads to innovative and sustainable products such as Uralac®EasyCure.”

Fig 1. LCA study: Comparison between powder, solvent and water borne coatings

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

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MARKET UPDATES

SHELL, CNOOC JV APPROVED TO BUILD SEVERAL PETROCHEMICAL FACILITIES IN CHINA

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Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

Aerial photograph of Phase 2 Chemical zone

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hell Nanhai BV (Shell) and China National Offshore Oil Corporation’s (CNOOC) 50:50 joint venture has officially accepted ownership of CNOOC’s ongoing project to build an ethylene cracker and several derivatives units, after receiving all the necessary government approvals.

Following a final investment decision in March, the project will now be owned and operated by the existing joint venture, CNOOC and Shell Petrochemicals Company Limited (CSPC).

The facilities being built next to CSPC’s existing petrochemical complex in Huizhou, Guangdong Province will increase ethylene production capacity by 1.2 million tonnes per year. Around 70 percent of the construction work is now complete. The expansion project will also include the largest styrene monomer and propylene oxide (SMPO) plant in China.

Shell will apply its proprietary OMEGA, styrene monomer and propylene oxide (SMPO) and polyols technologies to produce 150,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) of ethylene oxide, 480,000 tpa

of ethylene glycol, 630,000 tpa of styrene monomer, 300,000 tpa of propylene oxide, and 600,000 tpa of high-quality polyols.

It will be the first time that Shell’s industry-leading OMEGA and advanced polyols technologies are applied in China. The CSPC site currently converts a variety of liquid feedstocks into olefins and derivative products. These are used in a wide range of consumer goods, including computers, plastic bottles, cars, furniture, washing liquids and personal care products.

“With our strategic partner CNOOC, we are pursuing growth in the expanding Chinese petrochemicals market, and delivering to meet the needs of our customers. The focus is now on best in class project delivery,” said Graham van’t Hoff, executive VP for Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s global chemicals business.

“These government and regulatory approvals complete the official handover from CNOOC to CSPC and are an important step towards producing more petrochemicals for China’s growing domestic markets,” added Dong Xiaoli, general manager assistant of CNOOC.

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MARKET UPDATES

CLARIANT INAUGURATES

POLYPROPYLENE CATALYST PLANT IN US

New Clariant polypropylene (PP) catalyst production facility in Louisville, KY, US, developed and implemented in cooperation with CB&I. 46

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lariant has officially opened its new polypropylene (PP) catalyst production facility in Louisville, KY, US. The new plant, developed and implemented in cooperation with CB&I, makes the Louisville site Clariant’s largest US production hub for catalysts.

Clariant has significantly expanded its presence in the North American region over recent years. In addition to its catalysts business, Clariant focuses in the US on supporting customers through its oil services and industrial & consumer specialties businesses.

The addition of the PP catalyst facility further strengthens Louisville site, combing sales, technical service, R&D, technical centre, pilot plants and production.

The new PP catalyst facility is part of Clariant’s long-term strategic partnership with CB&I’s Novolen technology business.

The innovative catalysts produced here will help the global polypropylene industry to efficiently produce a complete portfolio of polypropylene resins.

At a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by representatives from across the Clariant organization and CB&I’s executive management team, Clariant CEO Hariolf Kottmann said: “The new production plant in Louisville marks a significant step forward for our catalysts business unit.

Our catalysts contribute extensively to value creation in our customers’ operations, and the catalysts coming from this special plant will help to ensure that raw materials and energy are used efficiently in polypropylene production.”

“We are pleased to partner with Clariant in developing this state-of-the-art catalyst facility. This facility will ensure highquality and high-capacity catalysts output for our customers and the polypropylene industry,” said Philip Asherman, CB&I’s president and CEO. 47

MARKET UPDATES

ARKEMA HIKES

FLUOROPOLYMER CAPACITY IN CHINA

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rkema SA said it has hiked 25 percent of the Kynar polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) capacity at its Changshu platform near Shanghai, China.

Addressing increased demand, the project will particularly help the new energies and water treatment applications. This investment will also speed up the growth of the high performance materials division and support the group’s ambition in technical polymers.

The 25 percent increase in the plant’s capacity will enable Arkema to further support the growth of its customers in Asia, in particular in the new energies (batteries and photovoltaics) and water management markets, as well as in the traditional markets of coatings and industry.

This investment demonstrates to the success of the group’s R&D in the development of innovative applications that address the major issues of sustainable development as well as tomorrow’s challenges.

“With this investment, Changshu will become the largest PVDF plant in Asia.

Thanks to its outstanding operating performance in terms of quality, reliability and responsiveness, this plant is a real asset for our customers of this strategic region for the group,” said Erwaon Pezron, global group president for Arkema’s technical polymers business.

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Arkema (Changshu) Chemicals Co., Ltd. 49

MARKET UPDATES

COVESTRO

OPENS NEW POLYCARBONATE PLANT;

DOUBLES CAPACITY IN CHINA

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© Covestro’s polycarbonate plant in Shanghai, China.

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ovestro has opened two new world-scale production lines for polycarbonate resins with hi-tech technologies and energy saving processes, increasing its high-tech plastic production capacities by two-fold (from 200,000 to 400,000 metric tonnes per year) at its site in Shanghai, China, to meet the growing demand for polycarbonates in Asia. “By increasing our polycarbonates production capacity in the region, we can adjust and respond even better to the varying needs of our customers,” said Michelle Jou, head of the polycarbonates segment at Covestro.

Particularly lightweight, highly transparent, strong (unbreakable) and easy to shape, polycarbonates are utilized in numerous parts of modern life – from medical devices to automotive parts, smartphones and LED lighting. Polycarbonate resins can also be mixed with other substances to produce blends with an optimally balanced set of properties.

With the two new production lines, compounding capacities at the Shanghai site have also nearly doubled, further improving Covestro’s ability to meet the increasing customer requirements.

The new production lines are the last foundation of a multi-year asset programme for the Shanghai site with a volume of more than €3 billion.

“The addition of the new production lines makes Shanghai the main production centre for polycarbonate resins in the world. The successful completion of this project strengthens our global production network and demonstrates Covestro’s continuous commitment to the Chinese market,” added Dr Klaus Schafer, Covestro management board member responsible for production and technology.

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MARKET UPDATES

LANXESS INCREASES

FOCUS ON ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY

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he use of thermoplastics in the electrical and electronics industry (E&E) will continue to grow strongly in the future thanks to megatrends such as Industry 4.0, LED lighting and the digital networking of building services engineering, household appliances and entertainment electronics.

Lanxess’s high performance materials business unit – one of the world’s leading suppliers of compounds based on polyamide 6, polyamide 66 and polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) with its Durethan and Pocan brands – is therefore boosting its operations for the E&E industry. A new E&E marketing and sales segment has been set up that pools the resources for this industry and organizes them in a more focused way.

“Our objective is to respond faster to the wishes of our partners in the E&E industry.

We also want them to have access to a wider

selection of listed materials that precisely meet their technical requirements,” explained Holger Mersmann, head of the new group, setting out its strategic orientation.

The new marketing/ sales segment is supported by an E&E competence centre that is responsible for product and applications development. Its job is to pick up on technical trends in the market early and work with customers to turn these into market-ready products.

A simulation tool has already been developed, for example, that enables moulded parts to be designed properly in terms of their thermal conductivity.

The new segment and competence centre will have a global orientation. They focus primarily on industrial applications, household appliances, LED lighting, power tools and consumer and home electronics.

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MARKET UPDATES

PRAXAIR

STARTS NEW AIR SEPARATION FACILITY IN PORT OF ANTWERP P

raxair Inc has started up its second air separation facility in Port of Antwerp, one of the biggest petrochemical production facilities in the world, also expanding its pipeline system.

This 1,300 tonnes per day facility raises Praxair’s oxygen and nitrogen capacity and supports customers with long-term agreements. It also produces liquid oxygen, nitrogen and argon that will meet customer demand in the pharmaceutical, chemical, glass, metal fabrication, producing and food & beverage industries in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Praxair has also started building an additional oxygen and nitrogen pipeline extensions on the east and west banks of the Port, which are expected to be finished by the end of 2016.

“The Port of Antwerp is the main chemical and petrochemical complex in Europe and continues to make additional investments in its infrastructure to expand capacity.

Praxair is well-positioned to grow with the Port given the investments we have made,” said Frank Wegmann, MD of Praxair Germany and Benelux.

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REPORT BIO SOLVENTS

INDUSTRY ANALYSIS AND FORECAST 2016 – 2024

Stringent regulations by DEFRA, EPA and REACH with respect to toxicity content in conventional solvents have fueled the growth of bio solvents.

© Vertec BioSolvents 56

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he global bio solvents market is primarily driven by volatile petrochemical prices associated with growing health concerns due to VOC presence in conventional solvents. In addition, stringent regulations by DEFRA, EPA and REACH with respect to toxicity content in conventional solvents have fueled the growth of bio solvents.

This trend is projected to have a positive impact on the global market growth over the next six years. Further, increasing penetration of bio solvents in coatings, paints, sealants & adhesives and printing inks is projected to have a positive impact on the growth of bio solvent market.

Furthermore, increasing spending on construction coupled with positive outlook of the automotive industry specifically in emerging markets of Asia Pacific and Latin America due to growing industrialization and urbanization rates are expected to drive demand for paints & coatings. Growing demand for paints & coatings is expected to further boost the global bio solvents market growth.

In addition, increasing consciousness regarding harmful effects of conventional solvents in personal care and pharmaceutical products is expected to further drive bio solvents demand in the respective applications.

Understanding the market demand, manufacturers are focusing on increasing investment on R&D to increase bio solvents application scope in cosmetics and pharmaceutical applications. High production costs combined with bio solvents is expected to remain a key challenge for industry participants. New product innovation and advancements

in production technologies are expected to counter such challenges during the forecast period.

Segmentation Global bio solvents market is segmented into product type, application type and geography. Based on product type the market is segmented into soy methyl esters, glycols, lactate esters, and alcohol among others such as polyhydroxyalkanoates, d-limonene and diols. On the basis of application, bio solvents market is segmented into paints & coatings, printing inks, adhesives & sealants among other niche applications such as cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

The major product segment lactate ester accounted for just below one-third of total market in terms of volume in 2013.

Increasing lactate ester solvents demand in printing inks, coatings and industrial applications is projected to drive the market growth during the forecast period.

Furthermore, glycol solvents are expected to grow with highest growth rate due to its increasing penetration in paints and printing inks, industrial coatings and automotive coatings industries. Its high blush resistance and slow evaporation rate are driving its demand over other solvents in the respective applications.

Apart from this, increasing spending on construction in different emerging markets such as India, China, Brazil and Mexico on account of rapid urbanization and industrialization rates is expected to remain a major driving factor for the application segment.

Changing trends towards using ecofriendly paints coupled with growing

industries of construction is expected to drive bio solvents demand. Paints & coatings application segment emerged as the largest segment accounting for a major chunk in the global market.

Growing paints & coatings demand in automotive and construction industries has been a key factor driving bio solvents demand. Sealants & adhesives are expected to experience the highest growth rate during the forecast period.

Region-wise Insight North America dominated the bio solvents market and accounted for over one-third of total market in terms of volume in 2013. High level of consciousness regarding environmental and health effects due to usage of conventional solvents and stringent environmental regulations have prompted the shift towards developing bio solvents. Asia Pacific is expected to register significant growth rate due to growing automotive and construction industries.

In addition, rapid industrialization in emerging markets of India and China are expected to drive adhesives and sealants demand. Furthermore, growing concerns regarding degradability of conventional solvents is expected to further drive the Asia Pacific market growth.

Key Players Some of the key players operating in the bio solvents market are The Dow Chemical Co, E I du Pont de Nemours & Co, AkzoNobel NV, BASF SE, Cargill Inc, LyondellBasell, Vertec Biosolvents, BioAmber, Myriant Corp, Huntsman Corp, Florida Chemical Company Inc. Source: Transparency Market Research

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

57

REPORT CARBON STEEL

GLOBAL ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT 2015 – 2025

Growing construction and automobile industry is expected to boost the overall demand for carbon steel market.

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arbon steel which is also known as plain carbon steel is an alloy which is manufactured using the combination of iron and carbon. Carbon steel is also the term used to refer steel which is not stainless steel. Carbon steel also contains other metals in extremely small quantities. Other alloying metal used in the manufacturing of carbon steel includes manganese, copper and silicon.

The proportion of carbon is increased in the steel in order to increase the physical properties of the product.

High carbon content in the metal increases the hardness as well as strength of the product. However, increased proportion of carbon reduces the ductility of the product making it extremely difficult to weld. High carbon content usually lowers the steel’s melting point and also its temperature resistance. The carbon content in the steel varies from 0.1 to 1.5 percent. However, there are steels that contain above 2 percent of carbon content but they are rarely used and have extremely specific applications.

Carbon steels are mainly classified as low carbon steel, medium carbon steel and high carbon steel depending on the carbon

content in the steel alloy. Carbon steel is one of the most widely used steel alloys.

Low carbon steel or mild steel is the most common form of carbon steel used owing to its easy availability and cheap price.

Medium and high carbon steel is widely used in many common applications. High carbon steel are used to manufacture a wide range of tools and equipments which includes knives, saw blades, chains, brackets, wear parts,pneumatic drill bits, railway wheels, shear blades, wire for structural work and jaws for vices among others. Carbon steel is majorly used in manufacturing a range of cutting tools owing to their great hardness and brittleness. Carbon steel is used in sheeting and in various structural forms owing to its amenability to tooling and wielding. Carbon steel is also used to in the construction industry. Carbon steel is widely used in the construction of bridges.

Thus, the growing construction industry is expected to drive the growth of the carbon steel market. Carbon steels also find applications in the automobile industry.

Carbon steel is an important material used in the manufacturing of automobiles

framework. The automobiles body is usually manufactured using carbon steel.

Carbon steel is used in manufacturing ships and rail roads. Thus, the growing automobile industry is expected to boost the overall demand for carbon steel market.

Asia Pacific is the largest manufacturer of carbon steel. Presence of many carbon steel manufacturers in China is expected to boost the overall demand for carbon steel market. Asia Pacific is also the largest consumer of carbon steel. The increase in urbanization coupled with the growing economies in the region is expected to augment the overall demand for carbon steel in the region. Asia Pacific is followed

by Europe in terms of consumption of carbon steel. Presence of many automobile manufacturers in the region is expected to boost the demand for carbon steel in the region. The demand for carbon steel is expected to grow rapidly owing to the high demand for the steel alloy in the railway and ship industry. Curtis Steel Co Inc, Omega Steel Company, Afarak Group, ArcelorMittal SA and Bushwick Metals LLC are some of the participants of the global carbon steel market.

Source: Future Market Insights

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

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REPORT INDUSTRIAL SOLVENTS

ASIA PACIFIC OPPORTUNITY

ASSESSMENT 2014 – 2020

Growing construction and automobile industry is expected to boost the overall demand for carbon steel market.

A

solution is defined as a mixture of two or more substances with uniform chemical and physical properties. Every solution consists of two basic components as solvent and solute. The main purpose of the solvent is to convert substances into a suitable form for a particular use, with its ability to dissolve, suspend or attract other materials. Solvents once used can be discarded, reused or recycled in an eco-friendly manner.

Usually industrial solvents are liquids but they can also be present in the form of solids and gases. The importance of solvent is brought about the most important fact that, many substances exhibit their greater usefulness when dispersed in a solution. Industrial solvents are typically used as ingredients in formulation of products or processing auxiliaries in manufacturing. The physical and chemical properties of a solution can be best utilized by making use of proper choice of solvents, thus making them suitable for use into a variety of processes and methods of industrial applications.

Industrial solvents market has significantly changed the modern living and made solvents one of the most valuable and useful products for various end user industries and manufacturing companies. On the basis of application, industrial solvent market is segmented as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, printing ink, paints & coatings and adhesives. Some of the more important uses of industrial solvents are in electronic industry, pesticides, photographic reproduction and textile industries. Large quantities of industrial solvents are also involved in oil refining and recovery, dry cleaning, rubber and polymer, fuel additives and metal degreasing. Most of the solvents in industrial solvents market are primarily used as dissolution agent in various 60

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

industries which accounts for about half of market share followed by cleansing, degreasing and purification. The growing demand from pharmaceutical, paints & coating industry is fueling the global demand for industrial solvent market.

from pharmaceuticals, paints and coatings industry. As of 2013, APAC was the predominant industrial solvents market, followed by Europe and North America and is expected to maintain its dominant position during the forecast period.

On the basis of product types, industrial solvents market can be segmented into oxygenated, hydrocarbon, and halogenated.

These have been further segmented into alcohols, glycols, ketones, ethers, glycol ethers and esters for oxygenated solvents, aromatic and aliphatic solvents for hydrocarbon, perchloroethylene, methylene chloride, trichloroethylene for halogenated solvents.

The growth in the construction and automobile industries with comparatively less strict environment regulations is fuelling the demand for industrial solvents market in the APAC region.

The other possible segmentation of industrial solvents market can be done on the basis of raw materials such conventional and green, whilst green industrial solvents market is expected to show high CAGR during the forecast period.

On the basis of end use, the industrial solvents market is segmented into manufacturing industrial solvents and non-manufacturing industrial solvents.

Manufacturing industrial solvents market as of 2013, commanded dominant market share whereas sub-segments of nonmanufacturing industrial solvents market such as transportation and cleaning are anticipated to register high growth rate during the forecast period.

Rapid industrialization in developing economies and chemical sales have led to significant demand for industrial solvents market. Industrial solvents market is anticipated to grow at higher pace in countries such as China, India and other developing countries due to potential growth in industrial value added over the past few years. Global industrial solvents market is expected to grow significantly with an increasing demand Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

Availability of abundant labour and petrochemical feedstock are major drivers for growing demand in APAC industrial solvents market, and is also one of the major reasons to attract manufacturers in the APAC region.

The growth in pharmaceutical, paint & coatings industry in emerging economies such as India and China is playing a significant role in industrial solvents market. However, strict legal regulations and growing environmental awareness amongst end user industries are major restraints for industrial solvents in the APAC region. Penetration of bio based and green solvents is the new rising trend in the APAC industrial solvents market. Key players in the industrial solvents market include Arkema, BASF SE, BP Plc, Diacel Chemical Industries Ltd, Exxon Mobil Corporation, Lyondell Basell Industries, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, PetroleoBrasileiro SA, Dow Chemical and Total SA. Asia Pacific industrial solvents market has become a global manufacturing hub which is attracting major players to set up their manufacturing plants and target high growth markets such as India and China.

Upcoming opportunities with increasing preference of green solvents, continuous research and development and product innovation is anticipated to drive growth in industrial solvents market in the coming future.

Source: Future Market Insights

61

REPORT METALWORKING FLUIDS

MARKET ANALYSIS AND

FORECASTS TO 2022

Asia Pacific is the largest market owing to a robust manufacturing base in China and India.

Industry Insights Global metalworking fluids market size was $9.34 billion in 2014 and is expected to witness significant growth over the next seven years owing to increasing demand from the automobile sector in emerging economies including China and India.

The recovery of the automobile sector in the US post the recession in 2008-09 is expected to augment growth over the forecast period. This has been a major factor for growth in North America, especially in the US, which has led to manufacturers increasing their production volumes and the region has improved its manufacturing output over the past few years.

Asia Pacific is the largest market owing to a robust manufacturing base in China and India. Strong government initiatives in China to support the manufacturing sector have led to a better production output, which is expected to have a positive impact on the industry. Crude oil price volatility has impacted base oil price which is used to produce metalworking fluids. Base oil suppliers are at a competitive advantage owing to the oversupply of crude oil. This 62

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

has resulted in improving their margins over the past couple of years. Emerging economies including India, China, Brazil, Russia and other Southeast Asian countries have been witnessing significant growth in the industrial manufacturing sector. Increasing production and exploration activities of crude oil in Asia Pacific, especially from Chinese petroleum companies, has been a major factor in influencing demand for the product in the region over the past few years.

Product Insights Synthetic based products are expected to witness rapid growth at a CAGR exceeding 3.5 percent, in terms of volume, from 2015 to 2022. Excellent surface finish, wear resistance, and ability to increase tool life have resulted in its increased demand from several end use industries including automobile, marine, and aerospace. Semi-synthetic based products are expected to increase their penetration over the next seven years owing to their excellent machining capabilities. Captive consumption of the product by companies which are integrated across the value chain has contributed toward growth.

Mineral based metalworking fluids market exceeded $4.50 billion in 2014 on account of its low price and abundant availability.

For instance, small and medium scale producers opt for mineral oil based products owing to their price sensitive customers.

Application Insights Neat cutting oil accounted for 44.5 percent of the global volume in 2014. The market is expected to witness significant growth owing to its increasing demand from the automobile, aerospace, marine and defense sectors.

Water soluble cutting oils are the second largest segment accounting for 726.3 kilo tonnes in 2014. They are used in a concentrated form which has led to a rise in their penetration levels over the past few years. Also, adoption of new coolant cycling programs to improve lubrication system and machining process will fuel its demand over the forecast period.

Regional Insights Asia Pacific metalworking market accounted for over 40 percent of the global volume share in 2014. Positive outlook

towards the manufacturing sector in China, Malaysia, and India in light of growing domestic consumption coupled with favorable regulations to attract investments is expected to augment expansion. Moreover, high consumption of metalworking fluids in the automotive sector is expected to promote demand over the forecast period.

US metalworking fluids market volume, by product, 2012 - 2022 (Kilo Tonnes)

North America market was $2.70 billion in 2014 and is expected to witness significant rise on account of high consumption of the product in the automobile sector in the US. Robust manufacturing base of automobile industry coupled with growing demand in Germany, and Russia is expected to augment demand in Europe over the forecast period

Competitive Insights Metalworking fluids is a highly competitive and fragmented market.

The global industry is dominated by a few companies including Houghton International, Blaser Swisslube, BP, Total SA, ExxonMobil Corp, Fuchs, Quaker Chemical Corporation and Cimcool. Other key participants include Eni SpA, Chevron Corporation, Ashland Inc, Motul, Kuwait Petroleum International, Indian Oil Corporation Limited and PETRONAS. In February 2015, Quaker Chemical Corporation launched a new product portfolio of advanced metal removal fluids. In August 2015, Cimcool launched “Cimpulse” which has helped metalworking shops to use only one fluid for various metal operations.

In January 2016, Hindustan Petroleum Corp Limited announced plans to import crude oil from Iran for the first time since 2012, which will increase its production volume. In December 2013, MCC Petroli Hong Kong Corp Ltd and MCC Holding Hong Kong Corp Ltd acquired approximately 18 percent stake in Sinopec’s oil and gas business.

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

Source: Grand View Research Inc

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REPORT SOLENOID VALVE

INDUSTRY

ANALYSIS AND FORECAST 2015 – 2021 Market players are focusing more on the development of new technologies which can provide improved features and better performance. © Bürkert Fluid Control Systems 64

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

S

olenoid valve is a device which uses a solenoid to control valve activation. In solenoid valve, electric current is passed through a solenoid. Solenoid valves are considered as electromechanically operated valve used for controlling liquid or gas flow. Solenoid valves are most commonly used in fluidics as a control elements. They perform the various task such as release, shut-off, mix or distribute fluids. Solenoid offers various advantages such as high reliability, fast and safe switching, extended service life, compact design and low control power.

Solenoid valve market is evolving continuously and expected to witness significant growth during the period of forecast. Constant evolution in solenoid valve market leads to the development of new technologies. Factors which are driving the growth of global solenoid valve market are increasing applications of solenoid valves into various industrial sectors, lower price of a valve and lower power consumption.

Furthermore, development of new solenoid valves such as micro-miniature valves customized valves and pinch valves encourages the growth of global solenoid valve market. On the other hand, solenoid valve market growth is affected by few common problems associated with solenoid valves. Power failure, uneven pressure, wrong voltage may affect the functioning of solenoid valve because of which solenoid valves may not open, erratic valve sounds while opening and closing of valve and coil problems in solenoid valves are some of the common issues associated with solenoid valves.

Global solenoid valve market is segmented on the basis of type, application, and region. On the basis of type, the global solenoid valve market can be segmented into two port valves, three-port valves, and four-port valves. Solenoid valves are commonly used in fluid power pneumatic and hydraulic system to control fluid power motors or large industrial valves. Solenoid valves are also used in automatic irrigation

sprinkle system. Furthermore, washing machine and dishwashers use solenoid valves to control the flow of water into the machine.

On the basis of application, the global solenoid valve market can be segmented into various industries such as chemical industry, pharmaceutical industry, automobile industry, agriculture industry, food & beverages industry and others.

Out of all these applications, the chemical industry is expected to dominate global solenoid valve market during the period of forecast.

On the basis of region, the solenoid valve market can be segmented into seven regions which includes, North America, Latin America, Western Europe, AsiaPacific (excluding Japan), Eastern Europe, Japan and Middle East & Africa region.

Further, the market is sub-segmented as per the major countries of each region in order to provide better regional analysis of the solenoid valve market. North America and Western Europe region expected to cover a major share of global solenoid valve market during the forecast period.

Key players of global solenoid valve market are ASCO Valve Inc, Danfoss A/S, CKD Corporation, Christian Burkert GmbH & Co KG, SMC Corporation of America, IMI Plc Company, GSR Ventiltechnik GmbH & Co KG, ODE srl, Kaneko Sangyo Co Ltd, CEME SpA, Takasago Electric Industry Co Ltd, Parker Hannifin Corp and Ningbo Kailing Pneumatic Co Ltd among others.

Market players are focusing more on the development of new technologies which can provide improved features and better performance. They are also focusing more on providing industry-specific products in order to capture more market. Global solenoid valve market is also witnessing trend of development of new solenoid valves such as customized valves, pinch valves and micro-miniature valves. These developments are expected to fuel the overall growth of the global solenoid valve market during the forecast period.

Source: Persistence Market Research

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

65

ACADEMIC R&D

ACADEMIC R&D

NON-TOXIC SOLVENT REMOVES BARRIER TO COMMERCIALISATION OF

PEROVSKITE SOLAR CELLS Scientists at Oxford University have developed a solvent system with reduced toxicity that can be used in the manufacture of perovskite solar cells, clearing one of the barriers to the commercialisation of a technology that promises to revolutionise the solar industry.

P

erovskites – a family of materials with the crystal structure of calcium titanate – have been described as a ‘wonder material’ and shown to be almost as efficient as silicon in harnessing solar energy, as well as being significantly cheaper to produce.

By combining methylamine and acetonitrile, researchers have developed a clean solvent with a low boiling point and low viscosity that quickly crystallises perovskite films at room temperature and could be used to help coat large solar panels with the material. The results are published in the Royal Society of Chemistry journal Energy & Environmental Science.

Dr Nakita Noel of Oxford’s Department of Physics, lead author of the study, said: “At the moment, there are three main solvents used in the manufacture of perovskite solar cells, and they are all toxic, which means you wouldn’t want to come into contact with them.”

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Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

film and multi-crystalline silicon used in Additionally, the most efficient perovskite solar panels around the world. Perovskites solar cells are currently made through also have the shortest ‘energy payback time’ a process called solvent quenching – a technique that is not easily transferred – the time taken for a material to save the same amount of energy that was expended from lab-scale deposition techniques to in its production. large-scale deposition techniques. One of the main selling points of this material is It has been said that the sun supplies that it is cheap and can be easily solutionenough power in 90 minutes to meet the processed. world’s total energy needs for a year. Study “We have now developed the first clean, co-author Dr Bernard Wenger, also of Oxford’s department of physics, said: low-boiling-point, low-viscosity solvent for this purpose,” said Dr Noel, adding, “What “While we are probably still a few years is really exciting about this breakthrough from seeing perovskite-based solar panels is that largely reducing the toxicity of the on people’s roofs, this is a big step along solvent hasn’t led to a reduction in the the way.” Professor Henry Snaith, senior efficiency of the material in harnessing author on the paper and leader of the solar energy.” photovoltaics group at Oxford, has been a pioneer in the development of perovskite In recent years, perovskite-based solar solar cells and was one of the first cells have raced to the front of emerging researchers to recognise their potential as photovoltaics, already competing on a low-cost, highly efficient material for this efficiency against well-established solar technologies such as the inorganic thin- purpose.

USING NATURE’S OWN SOLVENTS

FOR PREPARATION OF PURE LIGNIN

Lignin can now be efficiently and cost-effectively separated from sawdust, by using eutectic solvents. VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has developed solvents using which 50 percent of the lignin from wood can be extracted in a pure form that retains its natural chemical structure during processing. Using eutectic solvents, it may be possible to produce materials for use in the forest, food processing, pharmaceutical, packaging and mining industries in the future.

T

he use of eutectic solvents presents a range of opportunities for using lignin in industrial applications. A VTT research programme aims to replace petroleum-based chemicals with cost-effective, environmentally friendly alternatives in forest, pharmaceutical and mining industry applications; these will provide Finnish companies with a competitive edge on the international markets.

One of the key results of the research is the separation of lignin from sawdust in such a manner that up to 100 percent of the lignin maintains its natural chemical structure. Conventional processes provide lignin in a form which is much less usable in terms of its chemistry. This is why lignin has mainly been used for combustion in energy production.

Lignin which has retained its natural organic structure is thought to be more reactive and homogeneous, and therefore easier to use in various applications. The research findings were published in the journal, Scientific Reports.

VTT’s research is also opening up new opportunities to use enzymes in fractionation and metabolising processes – according to the preliminary results, carbohydrate-metabolising enzymes can maintain their stability surprisingly well in certain DES solvents, whereas enzymes have tended to be relatively unstable in new biomassdegrading solvents, such as ionic liquids, which resemble DES solvents in many of their properties.

The research findings were published in the RSC Advances journal.

Some components of eutectic solvents are fit for consumption.

Interactions between the components enable chemical reactions that would be impossible to create with conventional chemical processes.

Eutectic solvents are prepared simply by heating and stirring and are inexpensive compared to conventional ionic solvents. However, their recoverability and recyclability via industrial processes have to be investigated in each case.

VTT is studying eutectic solvents as part of the ‘Oil-free chemistry programme’ funded by Tekes, which ended in the spring of 2016. The results indicate that eutectic solvents can be utilised in applications such as biomass fractionation, the stabilisation of certain enzymes, and potential new surface-active agents.

What are eutectic solvents?

A eutectic solvent incorporates two or more substances with high melting points in a mixture with a melting point substantially lower than any of the individual pure components.

A known example of this is the mixture (mole ratio 1:2) of choline chloride (mp 302°C) and urea (mp 133°C), which has a melting point of 12°C. Eutectic solvents represent the next generation of organic solvents; wider research into their possible applications only began in recent years.

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

67

ACADEMIC R&D FAST, SAFE SOLVENT

FOR METAL DECONTAMINATION DISCOVERED

The solvents currently used to remove specific metals from water all have disadvantages: safety risks are high, the process is slow, they are expensive or not very environmentally friendly.

Researchers at TU/e have now produced a new type of solvent that is especially quick, safe, easy to make, cheap and much more environmentally friendly than many of the alternatives.

T

he researchers believe that the potential is enormous – for industry, water purification and for the recovery of rare metals. The result has been published in the science journal Chemical Communications. Authors are Dannie van Osch, Dries Parmentier, Carin Dietz, Adriaan van den Bruinhorst, Remco Tuinier and Maaike Kroon.

simple: merge the elements and a couple of hours shaking is all that it needed.

DESs were discovered in 2003. Even for chemists these are amazing substances.

They are created by mixing two solids.

Classical method of removing specific metals from water is to use volatile organic solvents. While it is effective, it is not all that safe and the solvents are often toxic.

For these reasons the scientific community is keen to find alternatives.

By robustly shaking the solvent through the contaminated water. The solvent absorbs the metals, and starts to float up on the water almost immediately due to its water-resistant property. Because the agent, in contrast to the volatile solvent, hardly vapourizes, the safety risks are virtually non-existent.

It was towards the turn of the century that this alternative was found in the shape of ionic liquids. However, these are problematic in that production is difficult and they still need organic solvents, which makes them expensive, and their viscosity makes them difficult to apply on an industrial scale.

Floating up Last year PhD students Dannie van Osch and Lawien Zubeir, among others, discovered a new category of solvents, ‘hydrophobic (water-resistant) deep eutectic solvents (DES).’ Production is 68

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

Now Van Osch has revealed how his hydrophobic DES can remove heavy metals like nickel and iron from water in just a few seconds.

Water-resistant However, they didn’t appear to be suitable for purifying water because they dissolve so easily in water. It had not been expected that a water-resistant DES category would be found. “At first, we thought this is not possible,” Van Osch said. But he and his fellow researchers succeeded anyway, last year.

CO2 The Eindhoven researchers have now managed to use hydrophobic DES’s not

only to remove metals from water but also to capture CO2. “This is a breakthrough, and the potential is enormous,” Van Osch and Zubeir enthused.

Hurdles Yet, the researchers expect, it will still take at least ten years of research before a DES for metal decontamination is on the shelves. One of the hurdles is the desire to get all of the metal salt out of the water.

Metals are present in water mainly in this form, such as the metal salt cobalt chloride, which in water breaks down into the metal cobalt ions on the one hand and chloride on the other. The solution of Van Osch and his fellow researchers removes the cobalt from water easily enough but not all of the chloride.

Paper industry The research is part of a wider research programme sponsored by the European paper industry and the EU (http:// www.providespaper.eu/), whose aim includes making the paper industry more sustainable and energy efficient through the use of deep eutectic solvents. The DES’s have already proven to be the basis for an entirely new method of processing the raw material for paper, lignocellulose.

FOOD ADDITIVE KEY TO ENVIRONMENTALLY

FRIENDLY, EFFICIENT, PLASTIC SOLAR CELLS

Schematic illustration and chemical structure of semi-printed plastic solar cells in air, using food additive o-MA as solvent.

R

esearchers from North Carolina State University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences have created an efficient, semi-printed plastic solar cell without the use of environmentally hazardous halogen solvents. These solar cells can be manufactured at room temperature, which has implications for large-scale commercial production.

Plastic solar cells, or organic photovoltaics, are popular because they are lightweight, flexible, transparent and inexpensive to manufacture, making them useful in multiple applications. Unfortunately, the halogen-containing solvents used in their manufacture are an obstacle to large-scale commercialization.

These solvents are key to making sure that the solar cell’s morphology, or structure, maximizes its energy efficiency; however, they are environmentally hazardous. Additionally, the use of these harsh chemicals requires a controlled environment, which adds to production costs. Long Ye, a postdoctoral research scholar in physics at NC State and lead author of a paper describing the work, wanted to find out if nontoxic solvents could provide equally efficient morphology in the manufacturing process. Ye and his colleagues developed a proof of concept semi-printed plastic solar cell that utilized o-methylanisole (o-MA) as the solvent.

O-MA is a commonly used flavoring agent in foods, and is nontoxic to humans.

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

The researchers used soft X-ray techniques to study the morphology of their solar cell.

They found that the o-MA based solar cell had similar morphology, crystalline features and device performance to those produced by halogenated solvents.

The solar cell’s overall efficiency rating was around 8.4 percent. Furthermore, their cell could be produced via blade coating at ambient, or room temperature. Blade coating is a process that uses a glass blade to spread a thin layer of the photovoltaic film onto either a rigid or flexible substrate, and the process is compatible with largescale commercial manufacturing.

“Two of the key requirements for mass producing these solar cells are that the cells can be produced in the open air environment and that the process doesn’t pose health or environmental hazards,” Ye said. “Hopefully this work can help pave the way for printing solar cells in ambient air.”

The work appears in Chemistry of Materials. NC State physicist Harald Ade is corresponding author, and Chinese Academy of Sciences professor Jianhui Hou is co-corresponding author. Ade group member Yuan Xiong fabricated the solar cell, with Brendon O’Connor and Abay Gadisa contributing to the work. Funding was provided by the Office of Naval Research grant and UNC-GA Research Opportunity Initiative grant.

69

R&D YOUNG TURKS

SOCIETY FOR SCIENCE & THE PUBLIC SUPER-ABSORBENT POLYMERS AND THEIR EFFECTIVENESS IN ORGANIC WASTE EXTRACTION

L

arge amounts of organic waste chemicals wind up in waterways every year, due to oil spills and other pollution.

“Unfortunately, no current solutions exist that can treat this problem in an environmentally friendly and effective manner,” Emhyr reported.

He decided to see if a commercially available super-absorbent polymer could efficiently remove organic waste from water. If this was possible, Emhyr wanted to develop a new polymer that could both complete that job and biodegrade afterwards.

To begin, Emhyr tested whether a superabsorbent polymer really could remove organic waste chemicals from water. He mixed diesel oil into separate containers of de-ionized water, stream water and seawater to mimic oil spills. He followed a similar process with three different groups of soil, then he treated each experimental

group with a commercially available product called CAS 100. The product repels water, but otherwise acts like a super-soaker: it can absorb other types of liquids by up to ten times its weight. In Emhyr’s tests, the CAS 100 worked well, as it absorbed almost all the waste from each experimental group of polluted water.

He reasoned that the concept could work, at least with spills on water. Even so, those tests were inconclusive because the treatment product picked up chemicals from the soil. Next, Emhyr set out to develop a biodegradable super-absorbent polymer.

He identified one promising compound, but unfortunately, one component cost too much for him to produce enough testing material. “The experiment was a partial success,” Emhyr concluded. He is now working with companies to get more of the component for future work.

FINDING A SOLUTION TO HEAVY METAL WATER POLLUTION

N

ikolai ruined a lot of shoes last year as he collected water samples near places such as highways, industrial plants, golf courses, oil refineries, farms, plant nurseries and landfills. His work found varying levels of pollution by several types of metals, such as lead, mercury and cadmium. “This year, I wanted to start working on finding a solution and solving this problem,” Nikolai said. He tested several eco-friendly filter materials to see which would remove the most lead and copper from contaminated water sources.

Nikolai chose eight types of filter materials to test: calcite crystals, limestone, mollusk shells, crushed coral, magnesium oxide, rose quartz, volcanic zeolite and bentonite clay. He prepared three different concentrations of a copper sulfate solution and three different concentrations of a lead nitrate solution. For each trial,

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Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

Nikolai poured 10 millilitres of a solution into a paper cone with one of the filter materials. He measured the copper or lead concentration in the liquid that flowed out and calculated how much had been removed.

He then poured more solution into each filter and repeated the process until the filter would no longer remove any lead or copper. “My biggest obstacle was time,” Nikolai said. “Doing 800 water tests takes forever!” Five of the filter materials were relatively effective, and magnesium oxide worked the best, Nikolai reported. It removed all the lead and copper from up to 100 milliliters of each solution. It also made each solution less acidic. “In the future, I would like to build a larger, multimedia-layered filter and test its ability to remove heavy metals from polluted runoff water,” Nikolai said.

MANIPULATING WATER SURFACE TENSION TO CLEAN BETTER

C

leaning has always fascinated Nathan.

This is true whether he is washing dishes at home or reading about oil spill clean-ups. Both of these jobs typically use chemicals called surfactants - chemicals that break up the surface tension of a liquid, breaking up big drops. Surfactants also grab onto grease to help water wash it away. Unfortunately, some surfactants can be toxic to ecosystems when mixed with oily compounds. Nathan set out to find an efficient cleaning method that is sustainable and environmentally safe.

“Lowering surface tension is the key to effective cleaning, because it allows water to permeate through the crevices of dirty objects,” Nathan noted.

To see how well different approaches could do that, he needed to measure surface tension. The smaller the weight of the drops formed by a liquid, the less surface tension that liquid would have.

Existing measuring options were too crude or costly, so Nathan designed his own equipment that uses a syringe, flexible tubing, a thermometer and a precise scale.

He then tested how different temperatures affect the surface tension of distilled water. Nathan found that as temperature increased, surface tension decreased at a steady rate.

He also tested the effects of varying concentrations of a surfactant and salt, each on their own and also in combination with each other. Using a surfactant alone lowered the water’s surface tension. A combination of surfactant with a bit of salt worked even better.

Nathan reasons that, this could save money and possibly reduce environmental impacts. Since his device worked well, he’s now planning to improve it and hopes to package it as an affordable kit that others can use.

SOLVING CLIMATE CHANGE PROBLEM

O

livia randomly assigned groups of three shrimp to each of 12 aquarium tanks. She kept her six control tanks at a pH of 8.1, which is the ocean’s current level.

Alternately, she infused the experimental tanks with enough carbon dioxide to lower the pH to 7.5. That’s the level that climate scientists forecast the oceans to drop to in the year 2100.

On the day she started, Olivia measured the mass, length, luminosity and colour of the shrimp in each tank. She also calculated the averages of shrimp in each tank because Atlantic Peppermint Shrimp generally look alike.

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

She repeated those measurements and calculations on the 24th day, then used statistics to analyze the data. Olivia found that the shrimp in the tanks with a lower pH grew less than those in the control tanks. “Perhaps the shrimp were put under more stress and using more of their resources” for normal body functions, she said. The shrimp in these futuristic ocean tanks also grew darker and more intense in their colouring.

This could make the shrimp more noticeable to predators. “Based on this study, a lower pH environment negatively impacts shrimp,” Olivia concluded.

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SAFETY WATCH GAS LEAK DETECTORS

GLOBAL

ANALYSIS AND OPPORTUNITY

ASSESSMENT 2014 – 2020

The popularity of such devices is growing due to the influx of new chemical facilities across the world.

A

gas leak detector is a piece of equipment or a device that senses and detects the existence of gases in a particular area. These devices are used as a part of safety systems installed in factories, homes and commercial complexes. A gas leak detector system detects the gas leaked and generates a signal to take proper action.

Industrially, gas detector systems are fitted with a sound alarm to evacuate the area in case of toxic gas leakage.

The popularity of such devices is growing due to the influx of new chemical facilities across the world. Further, the growing gas storage facility network across the globe has deployed a significant number of gas leak detectors for safety systems. Due to their design modifications, gas detectors are broadly categorised on the basis of technology as electrochemical, infrared imaging, infrared point, ultrasonic, semiconductor and holographic. On the basis of product type, the global gas detectors market is bifurcated into portable gas detectors and fixed gas detectors.

Portable gas detectors are widely used in lab application whereas fixed detectors find their maximum application in gas extraction and processing fields. Fixed gas detectors can also be used for residential applications such as using it in a bedroom.

Further, industrial fixed type gas detector application includes SCADA monitoring.

Gas detectors are used in applications such as gas turbines, building and construction, health care, food and beverages, water

treatment, oil and gas refineries, chemical plants, underground gas storage facilities, and others. The segments for refineries and chemical plants applications dominate the global market at present. Nevertheless, gas detectors are widely used in underground gas storage. The growing gas supply network is spurring the demand in this segment.

One of the major driving factors for gas leak detectors market is the ever growing oil & gas industry. The increasing number of gas field explorations and widening gas supply network has been fuelling the demand for gas leak detectors. In addition, active government organizations have been imposing safety regulations on the industries. This, in turn, has propelled the demand for gas leak detectors.

Further, Asia Pacific is likely to lead the league in terms of growth of the industrial sector, mining sector, medicine and healthcare sector, and construction sector.

This is likely to create opportunities for the growth of the global gas leak detectors market. However, the market is facing strong competition due to the influx of new players in the market and frequent product launches.

Multi-gas detector coupled with an analyzer system is one of the emerging trends in the global leaked gas detector market. This kind of detector is gaining popularity due to its compact designs and better features as compared to conventional gas leak detectors. It is expected that the after sales

Š SENSIT Technologies

market is likely to develop further in future and a number of market participants will enter this segment. It is also expected that the gas leak detector manufacturers will expand their business to aftermarket sales through forward integration and strategic alliances.

A number of product launches can be seen in the global gas leak detectors market.

For instance, market participants such as Scott Safety, GE and RAE Systems recently launched a few new gas leak detectors. The global gas leak detectors market has also been witnessing strategic alliances such as that between Cbiss and Old Man Partner.

To expand the business globally, a number of gas leaked detectors manufacturers have acquired other companies such as the acquisition of Edinburgh Instruments Ltd

by Techcomp Group Ltd, the acquisition of RAE Systems by Honeywell International Inc and the acquisition of Groveley Detection Ltd by Emerson.

Some of the prominent players in global gas leak detectors market are City Technology Ltd, Honeywell International Inc, Mine Safety Appliances Co, Dragerwerk AG & Co KGAA, Testo AG, ABB Ltd, Industrial Scientific Corporation, California Analytical Instruments Inc, Figaro Engineering Inc, Yokogawa Electric Corporation, Hitech Instruments Ltd, Ametek Inc, Emerson Electric Co, Halma Plc, Trolex Ltd, GE Measurement & Control, Gasmet Technologies OY, Enerac Inc, Xtralis Pty Ltd, Horiba Ltd and others.

Source: Future Market Insights

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Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

CHEMICAL

TODAY C o n n e c t i n g Wo r l d C h e m i c a l l y

SAFETY WATCH GLOBAL SAFETY SWITCHES MARKET

MARKET ANALYSIS 2016-2020 The increasing demand for electricity and power distribution systems is one of the primary factors for growth of this market.

Overview of the global safety switches market

© ABB

Global safety switches market will grow steadily at a CAGR of around 6 percent by 2020. The increasing demand for electricity and power distribution systems as one of the primary factors that will contribute towards the growth of this market. Recent regulations and government policies demand countries to revamp their decade-old power grid distribution and transmission lines.

Moreover, the estimated increase in power generation will also demand for better infrastructure, which will again drive the growth of the safety switches market.

Additionally, the increase in residential constructions and the recent rise in replacements of conventional meters with smart meters will also have a positive impact on the growth of the electrical safety switches market during the forecast period.

Benefits like low maintenance costs, resistance to chemicals, versatility in operation and machine design flexibility have increased the demand for stainless steel switches. Stainless steel switches offer extreme operational susceptibility to harsh operating conditions and are suitable for use in industrial operations, especially waste and chemical processing.

This growing preference for stainless steel safety switches will be one of the major trends that will gain traction in this market in the next four years.

Segmentation • Residential • Commercial • Industrial During 2015, the residential segment accounted for about 58 percent of the total market share and dominated the safety switches market. Factors such as the increase in residential construction and rapid urbanization will subsequently lead to the rise in electrical installations, which 74

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

in turn will propel the demand for electrical safety switches during the forecast period.

Geographical Segmentation • Americas • APAC • EMEA

According to this market study, APAC will account for about 57 percent of total uty applications market share by 2020 and dominate safety switches market are designedthe for global applications requiring throughout the forecast period. The rise in e. Our products are well due suited industrialization to low for laborthe and raw materials, growth in urban population ry, HVAC, water/wastewater treatment and regular upgradation of energy and power uildings and much more. transmission lines will increase the demand for safety power switches in this region.

Competitive landscape and key gh performance – choose ABB vendors gineered heavy duty safety switches are Due to the presence of several international local electrical switches manufacturers, ur customersandneeds.

this market is highly fragmented.

Regional vendors are finding it difficult to compete with international players 00 kA short-circuit withstand capability who are increasing their market presence with a diversified product lineup, better the most demanding applications. quality, and features. The estimated increase in product extensions and regular technological innovations are likely ble double break contacts through win-to intensify vendor competition in the market during the forecast period. Additionally, ch safe switch insert. the market will also witness a number of acquisitions by international vendors who constantly lookingedges to expand their acious interiorareand rounded make global presence by acquiring regional st. Gasket included in all NEMA classes. vendors.

The leading vendors in the market

• ABB switch insert can easily ce – The modular vings in both• GE downtime and money.

• Rockwell Automation • Schneider Electric

ible and non-fusible HD safety • SICK 200 Amperes – The robust enclosures The other prominent vendors in the are Omron, Pepperl-Fuchs, Eaton, ess steel or market acid proof steel sheet covSchemersal, IDEM and Euchner. .

Source: Technavio

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

75

LOGISTICS TSCA MODERNIZED

I

n June, President Obama signed the modernized Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) into law, and in doing so updated the nation’s chemical management law for the first time in four decades. Originally enacted in 1976, the new TSCA law gives the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the authority to review and regulate chemicals, requires reporting, record keeping, and testing requirements and restrictions relating to chemical substances and/or mixtures.

Key changes that are coming: Known as The Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, the new law: • Requires the EPA to evaluate existing chemicals with clear and enforceable deadlines • Provides the EPA the authority to evaluate chemicals purely on the basis of health risks 76

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

• Requires manufacturers to issue a Pre-Manufacture Notice (PMN) prior to manufacture of a new chemical • Provides increased public transparency for chemical information • Assures a consistent source of funding for EPA to carry out the responsibilities under the new law According to E&E Publishing Obama signs TSCA reform into law, the law’s enactment sets into motion a series of very ambitious implementation deadlines. In just the first year, for example, the EPA must complete several formal rulemakings, including establishing processes for prioritization, risk evaluation and “resetting” the inventory of chemicals in commerce. The Lautenberg Act also requires the EPA to identify and begin risk evaluations on 10 substances by 22 December. Subsequently the EPA must maintain a rolling list of 10 substances for risk evaluations as initial risk evaluations are completed. Additional

guidance documents, policies and activities prescribed by the law must also be completed.

Who will be impacted?

evaluates for risks, gathers chemical information, and possibly restricts individual chemicals in the upcoming months and years, affected businesses must maintain an awareness of EPA actions and remain involved in each stage of the process.

Law firm Reed Smith said both chemical industry associations and manufacturers alike praise the revamped legislation for providing Start preparing today regulatory certainty that the “old” TSCA failed to provide since To start preparing for the modernized TSCA, law firm BNA tells states were free to pass their own laws. Now, federal preemption impacted companies to: provides uniform standards and much-needed regulatory certainty, • Read and understand the new law and its implications the firm writes in Understanding the Re-Vamped TSCA: Federal Preemption Gives Uniform Standards.

• Review the TSCA Work Plan list of chemicals to identify any important to the company’s operations The amended TSCA will have significant impacts on chemical manufacturers, importers, distributors, processors, and other • Know what chemicals your firm makes, imports, uses, or ships downstream users. “Affected companies need to understand • Know what health, safety, and exposure data your firm has for the revised statutory concepts in the bill in order to adapt to those chemicals and comply with a new US regulatory framework for chemical management,” the law firm points out. Lastly, as EPA prioritizes, • Participate in rulemaking initiatives Source: Odyssey Logistics & Technology

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

77

LOGISTICS SUPPLY CHAIN MISCONCEPTIONS

THREE COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS

ABOUT CHEMICAL LOGISTICS C

hemical logistics represent a large part of the nation’s trucking sector. In 2015, the National Tank Truck Carriers (NTTC) announced the results of research they had conducted to learn about the size and impact of the tank truck industry within the US.

The results highlight the importance of this industry as one of the most specialized sectors within trucking. In fact, results show that the tank truck industry is responsible for hauling more than 2.4 billion tonnes of freight each year, equaling more than a quarter of all truck freight.

Even with the significance of this trucking sector and the impact it has on the industry and the US economy, misconceptions still exist with regard to chemical logistics.

As leaders within the chemical logistics industry for more than 35 years, we’ve worked hard to educate customers and the general public about chemical logistics; this post will focus on three common misperceptions about chemical logistics.

Misconception #1: The driver shortage doesn’t exist Truth: The driver shortage exists, especially in the chemical logistics industry Information abounds about the current and impending driver shortage within the trucking industry – in both chemical and non-chemical sectors. Some of you may believe that trucking companies have propagated this story to increase 78

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their margins; some of you may be keenly aware of a driver shortage that you’re experiencing right now.

The truth is that within the chemical logistics industry, the driver shortage is definitely real. The current population of qualified, chemical drivers is aging, and there’s simply not enough new drivers rising through the ranks to fill the need. According to American Trucking Association (ATA) over the next decade, the trucking industry will need to hire a total 890,000 new drivers, or an average of 89,000 per year. Replacing retiring truck drivers will be by far the largest factor, accounting for nearly half of new driver hires (45 percent).

In addition, drivers that transport chemicals require additional training through the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and OSHA to comply with the myriad of state and federal regulations and safety requirements that (understandably) accompany chemical hauling. Drivers that transport chemical products also assume a higher level of risk, taking responsibility for safely hauling potentially life-threatening substances from one place to another.

It’s imperative that you work closely with your logistics and supply chain professionals to ensure your chemical products will continue to be transported by the highest level of driver. At Dupre,

the driver turnover rate is 25 percent compared to 100 percent nationwide.

Part of the reason for such a low turnover rate is our driver management strategy.

Dupre drivers benefit from the extensive work we have done over the years with our partners to isolate the things that are likely to contribute to unsafe operating conditions. We work with our drivers to educate them and build work rules that allow them to maximize their productivity and income potential while at the same time improving their safety performance and job satisfaction.

Consider a dedicated carrier option to be sure your product is delivered in the safest, most cost-effective manner by a highly trained, professional driver.

Misconception #2: Lower rates will ensure lower transportation costs Truth: To make certain you’re receiving the most cost-effective, efficient chemical logistics services, it’s critical to partner with a logistics company that has your overall business strategy in mind. There are a number of factors that can impact the cost effectiveness of your transportation services. Efficiencies can be gained by how a product is loaded or unloaded, by utilizing a specially-built truck that reduces the number of shipments each year or by pursuing the services of a 3PL, 4PL or LLP to most efficiently transport your product.

In order to ensure that you’re receiving the best logistics services for your money, it’s essential to develop a relationship with your logistics carrier and completely assess the benefits they can bring to your organization. for example, If you typically haul 45,000 pounds of product on a regular Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

basis, you may be able to work with your logistics provider to build a lighter trailer that allows you to haul 50,000 pounds of product each time, saving hundreds of dollars in shipments per year.

Work closely with your logistics provider to develop the most cost effective solutions to reduce overall transportation costs, and meet your business’ supply chain strategy.

Misconception #3: All chemical logistics providers are created equal Truth: Chemical logistics providers are not created equal, and it’s critical for your business to work closely with your transportation provider to develop solutions that best meet your chemical logistics needs. Here at Dupre Logistics, we approach your business with a need to understand your goals and strategy, the preferences of your customers, and the competitive advantages that you bring to your industry.

Our professional engineers and supply chain experts then develop a solution that best meets your needs, insulating you from the ebb and flow of the market, the impending driver shortage and provide expert advice on chemical logistics best practices that allow you to become more profitable.

One size does not fit all when it comes to chemical logistics providers, and the same is true for chemical manufacturers.

It’s essential for your chemical logistics partner to work closely with you to develop solutions that increase overall productivity, enhance business performance, reduce costs and create a safe and efficient chemical logistics solution for your business.

Source: Dupre Logistics

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JOBS

Junior Research Scientist Company: Syngenta Date Posted: 26 September Country: India City: Goa-Ilhas

Job description: This position’s main purpose is to carry out the synthesis of new chemical entities for biological evaluation as crop protection agents as per the team priorities as directed by their team leader, to deliver compounds by carrying out multi-step syntheses of organic compounds which are obtained in high purity for testing as crop protection agents, to complete projects as per the agreed objectives and milestones, to apply new learnings in chemistry/technique in order to solve synthetic or scale up problems.

Website: http://bit.ly/2diFiMC

Chemical Engineer Company: AkzoNobel Date Posted: 28 September Country: China City: Binzhou

Job description: The candidate should be responsible for the design and run the assigned LWRs, and provide required specification to the customers, arrange the assigned LWRs according to the priority, generate project documentation including detailed experiment procedure, monthly update report, LWR summary for customers, and so on. Be involved in site HSE&S efforts. This may include involvement in BBS, SAQ, safety committee, incident investigation, safety inspections, internal/local audits, risk assessment, hazard studies, and others as deemed necessary by the site management for the continual improvement of site HSE&S performance.

Website: http://bit.ly/2dbm217

Senior Chemist Company: The Dow Chemical Company Date Posted: 12 October Country: Japan City: Yokohama

Job description: The candidate will be responsible for the technical service & development of Polyurethane(PU) and the technical service & application development for Slab/molding/ specialty PU applications as well as Construction Rigid systems in Japan markets. On the market-focused technical role, the activities will cover the identification and execution of customer opportunity by working with marketing and commercial organization; interfacing with the regional and global Technical Service &Development (TS&D) for development work; adherence to manufacturing and product stewardship for the new product scale-up; introduction of solutions at targeted customers for product qualification and commercialization. The incumbent will work closely with their sales, marketing and technical peers in the Pacific and globally. The incumbent will stay at Yokohama laboratory in Japan.

Website:http://bit.ly/2dyPShx

Analytical Chemist & Laboratory Supervisor Company: Orica Date Posted: 14 October Country: Australia City: Newcastle

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Job description:This role oversees a number of laboratories, classified as Major Hazard Facilities, at Orica’s Technical centre in Kurri Kurri, Newcastle. These facilities are used by Orica’s Technology and Product Support teams for the delivery of Orica’s global Technology Strategy. A critical factor for success will be providing visible leadership in the management of risks, and ensuring adherence to operating procedures and standards. The role provides a safe operating environment for all working in the facilities.

Website: http://bit.ly/2eHLji3

Wet Laboratory Technician Company: SGS SA Date Posted: 14 October Country: Canada City: Ontario

Senior Chemist/Scientist Company: Evonik Date Posted: 14 October Country: US City: Mapleton

Job description: The Wet Laboratory Technician is responsible for performing routine sample decompositions on geological materials in accordance with client work order instructions and laboratory quality guidelines and procedures and cleaning of lab ware. This position’s major responsibilities include performing a variety of decomposition and leaching methods as per SGS’ Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). These will include acid digests and others as required, provides feedback to supervisors and/or group leader regarding any issues encountered during procedures and ensure that equipment is maintained in good order making the supervisor or group leader aware of any damaged or defective equipment or any equipment requiring complex adjustment.

Website: http://bit.ly/2eHIcqs

Job description: The Senior Chemist will be responsible for developing, scaling up, transferring, and improving products, processes, and related chemistries for the oleo chemical productions in Mapleton, IL, Janesville, WI, and Hopewell, VA locations to meet the needs of Plant Operations, the Business Line (BLs), and our Customers. Working closely with BL Technology, Applications, Oleochemicals Synthesis, and Sales & Marketing personnel, the Senior Chemist will respond to the technology needs of Customers. He/she is responsible for the accurate and timely communication of technical information that supports the development, manufacture, optimization, and sales of products. The focus of the position is an understanding of the chemistry of our products, while applying process engineering principles and experience.

Website:http://bit.ly/2ewZXs6

Chemical Operator Trainee Company: Eastman Chemical Company Date Posted: 17 October Country: US City: Chestertown

Job description: This position is located in Chestertown, Maryland. Eastman Specialties Corporation, a global medium-sized manufacturer of performance chemicals has an excellent opportunity for a Chemical Operator Trainee to work in our Chestertown, Maryland manufacturing plant. Employment as the Chemical Operator Trainee is described below. Individuals must successfully perform the trainee duties to be considered for advancement into one of our other positions in the plant. This position, reporting to the Operations Team Manager, is responsible to operate all manufacturing equipment independently, without direct supervision, to produce quality products. This includes knowledge of the capacities, materials construction, agitation, and heat capabilities of reactors, vessels and tanks and of the available routes of product transfers from one tank to another. Must be proactive in correcting appropriate computer inventory entries, filling out and completing all paperwork Website: http://bit.ly/2bvCibv

Chemical Filler/Labeler 2nd Shift Company: Merck KGaA Date Posted: 18 October Country: US City: Norwood

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

Job description:Basic duties are to package hazardous liquids into various sizes and styles of containers, assure all filling procedures are properly followed and all closure specifications are accurately met, assure all packages are properly labelled and the finished units/cartons are correctly palletized. Must be able to read and write, perform basic math, lift up to 70 lb., correctly use equipment such as a weigh scales, and correctly operate filling equipment. The candidate requires to complete filling documentation which must be legible and accurate.

Website: http://bit.ly/2dLU8IN

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JOBS

Research Scientist Company: BASF Date Posted: 21 October Country: India City: Navi Mumbai

Job description:As member of our global Quantum Chemistry & Molecular Simulation team, to use computational methods to contribute to the development of new or improved products and processes by generating understanding of chemical reactivity and material properties on a molecular scale. Typical application areas are materials development, catalysis, formulation optimization, and chemical process development. To be a contact person for providing modelling support for the BASF R&D units in India and will be responsible for the identification, planning and execution of computational chemistry / modeling projects with these units.

Website: http://bit.ly/2bX52dI

Process Chemist Company: Monsanto Date Posted: 23 October Country: US City: St Louis

Job description:Monsanto has an immediate need for a Process Chemist to join the New Process Development Team. The successful candidate should have a Ph.D. or M.S. in Organic, Physical Organic, or Organometallic Chemistry.

Postdoctoral and/or industrial experience is highly desired for Ph.D. applicants, and industrial experience is required for M.S. applicants. A demonstrated track record of executing and completing innovative research and solving challenging, technical problems are prerequisites for this position. Applicants must have experience in reaction development, multistep synthesis, catalysis, and/or electrochemistry. Each candidate must have a very strong technical background and publication record; highly effective communication and interpersonal skills; excellent problem solving abilities; and a commitment to achieving superior results in the context of an interdisciplinary project team.

Website: http://monsanto.info/2ewT61F

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IT IN CHEMICALS COMSOL CONFERENCE

Dr Vineet Dravid, Managing Director, Comsol Multiphysics Pvt Ltd India, during the keynote session

STUDENTS LEARN

MULTIPHYSICS MODELING WITH COMSOL

T

he room was abuzz with engineering students from across the country at the 12th annual conference of Comsol.

Students were bent over their laptops creating models on Comsol’s multiphysics software. This was the view in the training rooms during the Comsol conference organized on 20 & 21 October in Bangalore.

More than 200 attendees from different industries and academic institutions made their way to the event. The conference programme included 28 mini training courses.

Roping in the industry, the keynote speakers demonstrated real-time industry application of the software.

For instance, for the two wheeler segment, noise control involves the evaluation of different parts of the engine and exhaust system based on various acoustic criteria.

“The Acoustics Module, an add-on product to Comsol Multiphysics, is used to evaluate the acoustic performance of engine and exhaust systems against the various criteria.

To meet the acoustic criteria, modifications are then made to the system design,” said Gyanendra Roy, CAE head from Mahindra Two Wheelers Limited (Pune), giving his keynote on motorcycle noise and sound analysis. Another keynote focused on terahertz (THz) optical element designs for spectroscopy applications. “Although there 84

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

are several Comsol Multiphysics modules that can be of use for design purposes, we use the Wave Optics Module for our applications to fabricate different THz frequency polarizers, filters, metamaterials and THz spectroscopy setups. Simulation helps save a lot of time on the fabrication of components by identifying design errors,” said Dr Shriganesh Prabhu, who earned his PhD from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.

Solutions for chemical engineering The Chemical Reaction Engineering Module in Comsol Multiphysics has customized functionality for the analysis of chemical systems primarily affected by chemical composition, reaction kinetics, fluid flow and temperature as functions of space and time.

It has several interfaces to model chemical reaction kinetics; mass transport in dilute, concentrated and electric potentialaffected solutions; laminar and porous media flows, and energy transport.

Some of the user presentations for the CRE modeling were from the Advanced Technology Development Centre and School of Medical Science and Technology at (IIT) Kharagpur; Dept. of Cardiology, Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata; and Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

Academic attendees The conference showcased about 75 user presentations in the form of posters and oral presentations. Engineering students from Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Delhi, Chennai, Bhubaneswar, Roorkee, Rupnagar and Varanasi took part for the user presentations among others.

Also international user presentations were from; Manipal University, Dubai, UAE; University Of Science Malaysia (USM), Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia; Institute of Tele. Radioelectronics and Electronic Engg, Lviv Polytechnic National University, Lviv, Ukraine; Nordita, Stockholm, Sweden; and RCAST, The University of Tokyo, Japan.

The best paper award went for Subhashish Dasgupta from ABB, Bangalore, while Biju AF from Honeywell Bangalore won the best poster award.

As part of the conference, attendees voted for their favourite poster. Thennavarajan Subramanian from NAL won the best poster in this category.

All in all the two-day Comsol conference saw both the industry and academia working and learning together. Added to that, the conference ended on a hopeful note, with a promise of more to come in the next few years.

Comsol introduces latest software update at the Conference Comsol Inc product managers unveiled the latest version of Comsol 5.2a at the 12th annual conference series. The updates of Comsol Multiphysics software, Comsol Server product and Comsol Client were introduced. The Comsol software features major performance increase and release of the Rotordynamics Module, which is now available as an add-on product to the Structural Mechanics Module.

The speedup is most notable with respect to the handling of models with several thousand domains and boundaries, for the latest update. Comsol is committed to deliver the most efficient and robust multiphysics environment for its wide range of products for electrical, mechanical, acoustics, fluid, thermal, and chemical simulations.

“To fulfil this commitment, Comsol’s development team ensures that each update of the Comsol software provides more efficient solvers, meshing, and physics modeling functionality,” commented Bjorn Sjodin, VP, product management, Comsol Inc. Comsol showcased examples of how customers are leveraging simulation apps to enable company-wide usage of multiphysics simulation. “These case studies provide us with a first look at how our customers benefit from building and deploying simulation apps,” said Svante Littmarck, president and CEO, Comsol Inc, in his keynote presentation. “The Application Builder and Comsol Server™ are the tools that organizations need in order to provide multiphysics for everyone.”

The latest update of the new Rotordynamics Module will aid engineers in analyzing vibrations due to centrifugal forces and other gyroscopic effects in rotating machinery. This new product will be used to ensure that rotor vibrations are contained within acceptable design limits. This module will be of particular interest to those working with the design of turbines, turbochargers, electrical machinery, and pumps in the automobile, marine, aerospace, energy, and household appliance industries.

“With the Rotordynamics Module, users can take into account the effects of various components such as disks, bearings, and foundations,” explained Prashant Srivastava, a technical product manager at Comsol.

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

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IT IN CHEMICALS INTERVIEW IIOT

Anne-Marie Walters, Global Marketing Director, Bentley Systems speaks at length about the global acceptance of IIoT by the chemical industry and ways in which this technology is leveraging accuracy, authentic and safety standards of the industry.

OPTIMISING INDUSTRY’S

OUTPUT WITH IIOT

BY DEBARATI DAS What are the latest trends in the IIoT segment?

The chemical industry is mature when it comes to sensing and automation systems for safely controlling operations and monitoring major items of equipment. Yet, while the manufacturing industry is a little more advanced in implementing these 86

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technologies to make better products, the chemical industry is not yet thinking that way. It is still trying to figure out how the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) will make things different. So, the focus is on how to use these technologies to run their plants more effectively and efficiently, and achieve higher operational excellence.

In the chemical industry, you will find

plants that are as old as 100 years, all of which are being constantly revamped to extend their life and adapted to ever changing market and regulatory demand.

When these activities are scheduled, they typically require a plant to be shut down for around six weeks every year, and often other maintenance activities are scheduled during this shut-down period.

However, there are also times when shut downs occur unexpectedly, when some vital piece of equipment fails outside of these scheduled times. With the right technology in place, operators can eliminate these unexpected shutdowns and even minimize the planned shutdowns down to as little as two weeks, ensuring maximum work is done in a minimal amount of time. This is where IIoT can come in and help identify what needs to be attended to, repaired, or replaced before it breaks down.

For instance, owner-operators use sensors, vibration monitors, and pipe thickness monitors to constantly watch certain points in the asset. But, it is impractical to have sensors on every piece of equipment or at every point on a pipe. Bentley helps plant owner-operators with applications that contain the engineering knowledge of the pipe, and together with other information such as flow rate, temperature and pressure, can accurately predict the high probability areas of failure, and where their inspections need to be directed, or pipe thickness detectors placed. Essentially, moving maintenance to a risk-based approach to inspections and ensuring scarce resources are directed at the right problems.

One example is in the oil and gas industry, where a global oil company is using our technology to monitor and manage its pipeline corrosion inspection activities. It started with its downstream businesses in refineries determining that by combining real-time sensor data with temperature, pressure and flow rate data, combined with pipe stress analysis and engineering content, they could identify the areas that are likely to corrode and thin, and narrow the corrosion inspection focus to those areas.

Bentley’s predictive analytics solutions have also proved to be beneficial in the oil production business. In oil production, chemicals are injected into the wells to minimize corrosion and maximise the flow of oil from the well.

However, the more chemicals you inject, the more expensive it becomes, thus lowering your profit margin. The best scenario is to optimise production against chemical injection, balancing the cost of chemicals with production flow rate while maintaining the product quality.

Our predictive analytics applications help operations optimise production and quality by managing all the data pertaining to product value, chemicals cost, intervals between shut downs for cleaning, and so on. Our users, in turn, have achieved a

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

phenomenal return on investment and have reduced operations costs by 30 percent.

How is the acceptance for IIoT growing among various industries globally?

There has been a wider acceptance for predictive analytics and risk-based inspection applications in the industry.

They provide better information to the decision makers to carry out better operation. What is lagging behind is the acceptance to turn over the entire control to a ‘sensor’ and to believe that the computer knows better than the operator.

There is still resistance to that becoming fully automated.

Also, studies have found that too many sensors in a plant overwhelms the operators on the floor. At Bentley, we have been working with our partners to bring in dashboards, key performance indicators, and more intuitive ways of presenting information while providing a comfortable working environment.

What are the other sectors where IIoT is finding a bigger role?

In the discreet manufacturing industry there is a huge move toward knowing how your product is used and being able to design a better product in order to make it more useful for the user. For instance, in aircrafts we constantly monitor the condition of the engine and we know when it needs maintenance. So, a service organisation gets feedback from the operating conditions of a machine, which helps them optimize their maintaining and operating of the asset.

In this process, the companies are also utilising this operating information to help designers redesign the next product, making it more efficient by eliminating the flaws they had found in the earlier one.

So, while the older model of a pump could work for 5,000hours before maintenance, the new ones can now work for 10,000 hours.

The manufacturing industry is just getting its head around how to bring service information into engineering the next product. In the process industry companies think about how to build a safer plant to both operate and construct, and are beginning to think about ways real-time sensing technologies can help improve safety and efficiency. For instance, instead of putting sensors everywhere in a huge plant or frequently sending a person to

manually inspect or check an area, one can have digital and infrared cameras fixed at a point or on a drone, which can intelligently monitor any physical change. Instead of constantly monitoring the camera output, the camera surveys and computers compare the images to identify leaks, vibrations, hotspots, bending, or contraction in a pipe at a particular location, and sends that change information to the operator.

What is the role of asset management in an organisation?

Asset management helps you make better and more-timely decisions. It notifies you when and where you need to repair or replace something without wasting time on things that are running well or losing time when something fails. This can lead to a situation where accidents don’t happen at all and unplanned maintenance drops to zero because you can identify and rectify a breakdown before it happens. Asset management monitors the plant, pulls all the information together and directs inspection and maintenance efforts to things that matter. Using our asset management applications, organizations typically cut their maintenance costs by 30 percent. Predictive and operational analytics help you adjust what you are doing based on the business requirements.

This might include running the plant at a lower rate because the demand (and hence price) for the product has gone down, or adjusting the production as per changing weather conditions to optimise energy usage. In the chemical industry, everything is aging. But, if you can get another year out of the assets before you replace them, you generate huge cost savings.

What are the risks involved with IIoT? There is a lot of debate over cyber security issues and hacking risks associated with all the connected devices controlling the plant.

Assets and infrastructure in this sector can seriously injure or even kill people if anything goes wrong. So the industrial world is much more protective of its data and has greater demand for security than almost any other sector. This is one of the reasons why Bentley has embraced Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform.

Microsoft has built Azure to meet the most rigorous standards from the industrial world. There are also many manufacturers adding cyber security at the sensor device level, so that even if someone manages to hack into the central control system, there are safeguards in place to reduce the risk of cyber-attacks.

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PRODUCTS

LAUNCH OF HIGH PERFORMANCE ORGANIC PIGMENT FOR SENSITIVE APPLICATIONS

B

ASF’s Paliotol® organic pigment series extends further into food contact and toys applications with innovative Paliotol® Yellow K 1750 being now supported for those applications. The Paliotol® series consists of mid to high performance organic pigments, which have excellent colouring value for a wide range of applications including use in food contact materials and toys. The red shade of the Paliotol® Yellow K 1750 perfectly meets the needs of the plastics industry, especially when it comes to sensitive applications like food packaging and toys. That’s not only due to its excellent properties, but also because it’s completely halogen-free. It already complies with European plastics regulation EU 10/2011 and extension of compliance to other regions of the world is on-going.

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Contact: BASF SE Carl-Bosch-Str. 38, 67056 Ludwigshafen, Germany Tel: +49 621 60-0 Fax:+49 621 60-42525 Email: lisa.gentile@basf.com/carolin.schoeffel@basf.com Web:https://www.basf.com

New silicone adhesives SILPURAN® 2114, SILPURAN® 2122, and SILPURAN® 2142. The gels are designed for the production of adhesive layers as used in traditional wound-dressing and tape products.

SILICONE ADHESIVE

FOR TRADITIONAL WOUND DRESSINGS AND TAPES

W

acker continues to expand its range of silicone adhesives and is now offering products with high adhesive strength in the form of SILPURAN®2114, SILPURAN®2122 and SILPURAN®2142.

The new adhesives adhere strongly enough to be used in adhesive plasters, dressing retention materials and other traditional wound dressing products, as well as in medical, sport and therapeutic tapes.

The three new adhesive types are two-component, colourless and transparent silicone gels that crosslink via a platinum-catalyzed addition reaction to form soft, highly flexible materials with a elastic, gel-like consistency. The flexibility of the silicone, together with its low surface energy, ensures that a bond develops between the cross linked gel and the skin, while at the same time the elasticity allows the adhesive layer to be peeled off easily, leaving no residues.

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

Contact: Wacker Chemie AG Hauptverwaltung, Hanns-Seidel-Platz 4, 81737 Munchen, Germany Tel. +49 89 6279-0/+49 89 6279-1601 Email: florian.degenhart@wacker.com Web: http://www.wacker.com

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PRODUCTS

SILICONE SEALANT TECHNOLOGY FOR AUTOMOTIVE MODULE MANUFACTURERS

H

enkel Adhesive Electronics provides BERGQUIST TLB 400 SLT which is a two-part silicone sealant designed for automotive module applications. With an adaptable thermal cure profile that enables full cure at temperatures from 25°C to 180°C, the technologically advanced sealant allows automotive specialists to accommodate various manufacturing protocols. It offers high reliability and material compatibility. Even at room temperature and independent of ambient moisture, once the two parts are mixed, BERGQUIST TLB 400 SLT will seal and bond, creating an environmentally protected enclosure. The adhesion strength of the material to various automotive surfaces including aluminum, steel and plasma-treated plastic is robust and its elongation to break is excellent at 400 percent. It has shown superb performance results with a variety of automotive applications including engine control units, hybrid electric and electric vehicle modules, electronic enclosures and integrated brake control modules, among others.

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Contact: Henkel Electronic Materials LLC 14000 Jamboree Road, Irvine, CA 92606, USA Tel: 1-714-368-8000/ 1-888-943-6535 Email: doug.dixon@henkel.com Web:http://www.henkel-adhesives.com

NEW SEALANTS SECURE ROOFING JOBS

E

ssve has developed two new sealant products for repair and sealing of roofs. UniversalSeal Allweather is for sealing and mounting of gutters and roofs. New RoofSeal enables easy repair and sealing roofing felt, tin roofs and also cracks in foundations.

RoofSeal is asphalt-based (bitumen) and strengthened by fibreglass.

This combination secures a very filling joint, delivering a waterproof seal between different materials. RoofSeal can also be used for mounting of tin or roofing felt. The product always provides a compteley waterproof seal and can be used all year around, even against damp surfaces. UniversalSeal Allweather is easy to use and highly elastic sealant which fastens in all climates and weathers and against most materials. The joint is weather-consistent and immediately waterproof, and provides a very elastic seal. The product comes in both transparent and black. Perfect for mounting and repairing of leaking gutters, surface water systems and for sealing bushings in both roof and foundation. Best used outdoors due to sharp smell when applied (smell not persistent). The product will become surface-dry in a couple of minutes.

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

Contact: Essve Box 770, Sidensvansvagen 10, 191 27 Sollentuna, Sweden Tel: +468 - 623 61 00 Fax: +468 - 92 68 65 Email: mse@essve.se/info@essve.se Web: http://www.essve.com 91

EQUIPMENT PUMPS INTERVIEW

PUMPING PROFIT

FOR THE

INDUSTRY Shankar Rajaram, Vice President, Industry, Grundfos India talks at length about the chemical dosing pumps industry and shares his insights about the ways in which digital systems are changing the industry.

Trends for the chemical dosing pumps and systems.

As dosing in itself calls for significant precision to add value and serve its very purpose, digital technology in the digital dosing pump gains traction worldwide, hence all manufacturers are betting on it. Being the world’s leading pump manufacturer, we have recently launched a new product called ‘Smart Digital’ to cater to the market demand, which has inbuilt intellect by the programme. The pump itself handles the normal pumping hassles and it is so called ‘self-diagnostic pump.’

Moreover, we supply dosing tank stations as part of system solutions for chemical dosing applications. It is a compact, sturdy and user-friendly unit.

The tank is made of LLDPE and is UV stabilized. The key feature of the tank is that it is air tight and does not allow the chemical fumes to go out from the tank.

This is unique in the market.

Chemical dosing pump requirements of Asia Pacific (developing) markets with the US/ Europe (developed) markets.

Asia-Pacific represents the largest and most lucrative positive displacement pumps market led by the growing demand from China and India. Growing industrialization, infrastructural development and substantial investments in utility projects such as wastewater treatment and recycling are expected to propel demand for positive 92

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

displacement pumps in the region. All these factors are expected to create a multitude of business opportunities for pump manufacturers in the coming years. So it is predicted that Asia Pacific has huge potential as compared to US/ Europe markets, which are flat or have minimal growth.

Growth sectors and key market drivers for chemical dosing systems in emerging markets.

It is estimated that industry and water treatment have more growth potential in the emerging markets for dosing pumps than others in coming years. Large manufacturing facilities, water utilities, potential demand for ZLD in industries, growing desalination and water recycling/treatment in power industry are some of the key drivers for growth in the dosing systems, particularly for India.

Level of automation for the chemical dosing pumps.

Chemical dosing pumps have attained complete automation. These pumps can be communicated to a place by both analogue and digital signals. It has reached to the level as PID controller.

Customer demands in terms of the chemical dosing systems.

Product reliability, compactness, a single vendor supplying necessary components for dosing operation, technical assistance and instant service support are the customer demands.

Overview about chemical dosing diaphragm pumps, systems and chlorine dioxide generators business in your company.

The technology is unique in the market and enables us to protect our business.

This is the key differentiator in the product offering we are in.

Dosing pumps/systems in our company is a significant contributor to water treatment business and industry segment business. Apart from that it also gives us an opportunity to offer the customer’s products required in the fast growing water treatment industry.

Addressing customer problems and availability of spare parts.

Chlorine dioxide generators in disinfection industry is in a growing stage as it has still not got the required fill up in the market as it deserves, considering various advantages it has against various methods of disinfection.

As this is relatively new, its gaining significance at a slow pace.

Expansion plans and focus on R&D for chemical dosing pumps.

We have few variants of dosing pumps, which are yet to be launched and they are expected to be released in the market in the near future – by the mid of 2017. Grundfos is the leading pump manufacturer; spending 5 percent of its annual turnover in R&D. This is applicable for all our products. We are constrained to share more for now considering the stage of development that we are in on these product lines.

Aspects of patent protection for products.

We have a patent in dosing pumps, especially in the motor driven technology.

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

Being the largest manufacturer in centrifugal pump business along with dosing pumps, we have a widespread network in the country, more than any other manufacturer. We have a system and a team in place to address service related complaints. With this set-up, we are addressing the service-related complaints within a short span of time considering the installation base of these pumps and tracking the past complaints and stocking the required spares.

Effectiveness of the chemical dosing products to work with high viscosity liquids, high temperature operations, high-pressure lines and precious chemicals.

Our pumps are specially designed to handle high viscous, degassing and high counter pressures and we are offering varied solutions. For high viscous liquids (up to 3000 cps) and high precision, we have digital diaphragm dosing pumps called DME, DDA, DDC. They can handle viscous liquid with the max accuracy of +/- 1 percent. For high temperature and high pressure, we have mechanical diaphragm dosing pumps called DMH which can handle to the maximum temperature of 100°C & max pressure of 200 bars.

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EQUIPMENT

New GC Mass Spectrometer offers High Sensitivity, Ultra-Trace Analysis S

himadzu Corporation’s GCMS-TQ8050 is an ultra-high-sensitivity GC-MS/MS offering both robustness and the highest sensitivity levels in the world. In addition to detecting ultra-trace concentrations of components down to the femtogram level, it maintains those ultra-high-sensitivity levels for long periods. That makes it an ideal GC-MS/MS system for applications that require ultra-trace analysis, such as analyzing persistent organic pollutants (POPs) or endocrine disrupting chemicals in the environment or analyzing impurities in pharmaceuticals. It also features newly developed noise-reduction technologies. These technologies help achieve the world’s highest sensitivity levels. This exceptional performance means dioxins and endocrine disrupting chemicals in foods, for example, can be quantitated with higher accuracy and reliability than ever before.

Furthermore, the new detector can be used for femtogram-level ultratrace analysis without applying undue loads on the detector. That makes premature deterioration unlikely and results in maintaining ultra-high-sensitivity for five times longer than the previous detector.

Contact: Shimadzu Corporation 1 Nishinokyo Kuwabara-cho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8511, Japan

Tel : +81-75-823-1111 Fax : +81-75-823-3188 Email:info@shimadzu.com Web:http://www.shimadzu.com

New Process Mass Spectrometer Introduced A

metek’s ProMaxion process mass spectrometer has the speed and specificity necessary to calculate the appropriate amount of make-up gas for complete combustion. Taking advantage of this analysis speed and the fact that no previous separation is needed, this calculation can be obtained in < 10 seconds, more than 10 times faster than chromatography. The mass spectrometer is set up to monitor and quantify 16 components in the flare gas stream, including eg H2, N2, methane, ethane, propane, n-butane, i-butane, pentanes etc. ASTM method D 2650-04 (standard test method for chemical composition of gases by mass spectrometry) will be used to calculate the concentrations of the individual components from the raw data collected by the mass spectrometer. The resulting concentration data are then converted into the flare gas heat value as described in ASTM D 3588-98 (standard practice for calculating heat value, compressibility factor and relative density of gaseous fuels). The specifications are; it is provided with stainless steel enclosure; has 1–100 amu mass range; 24 valve inlet system; and TEC Cooling and further is provided with process 2000 software for method creation and auto-calibration.

Contact: Ametek Process Instruments 150 Freeport Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15238, USA 94

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

Ph. +1-412-828-9040 Fax +1-412-826-0399 Email: pr.ametekpi@ametek.com http://www.ametekpi.com

Customized dosing system in a modular concept for fine chemistry H

NP Mikrosysteme introduced Modular Dosing System (MoDoS®), which is a tailor-made pump system for pilot plants and industrial research in the field of fine chemical and pharmaceutical production. The effective and continuous production of pharmaceutical products and intermediates in micro reactors depends on the exact adherence of the defined dwell time and the mixing ratio of the raw materials. A stable flow with low pulsation in the microlitre to millilitre range with a maximum variation of 1 percent can be achieved with the right pump, the proper controller and an appropriate sensor. Heart of the dosing system MoDoS® is a micro annular gear pump.

Further components among others are filters, sensors and flow meters, which are carefully selected in accordance with customer requirements and based on long-term experience.

MoDoS® can be operated independently or integrated into existing process control systems. It is flexible; with one system the manufacturing of different products is possible.

Contact: HNP Mikrosysteme GmbH Dorte Hoffmann, Bleicherufer 25, D-19053 Schwerin, Germany

Tel: +49 385 52190-352 Fax: +49 385 52190-333 Email: sales@hnp-mikrosysteme.de Web: https://www.hnp-mikrosysteme.de

Cooling oil effectively with small footprint coolers K

elvion’s PF cooler range is designed especially to cool oil. These coolers are shell-and-tube heat exchangers in which not every individual tube is provided with cooling fins: instead, all tubes mutually use a common bundle of cooling fins for enhanced heat exchange. PF coolers achieve significantly better heat transfer than do non-finned shell-and-tube heat exchangers, with the result that they offer the same cooling duty with a unit that is approx. 25 percent smaller and lighter than conventional models. The oil flows through the fine finned structure with low pressure drops and transfers its heat to the cooling medium that flows through the heat exchanger tubes.

Both the cylindrical form as well as the inner configuration of the coolers enable great stability and only slight susceptibility to vibration. PF coolers are designed for operations at a maximum of 120 °C and up to 10 bar(g) in the interior of the tube bundle, and up to 16 bar(g) on the oil side.

Contact: Kelvion Holding GmbH Dorstener Str. 484, 44809 Bochum, Germany Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

Tel: +49 234 980–1961 Fax: +49 234 980–2014 Email: nicole.hueckels@kelvion.com/bochum@kelvion.com Web:http://www.kelvion.com 95

EQUIPMENT

New Diaphragm Metering Pump For Pumping Chemicals N

eptune, part of PSG, a Dover company launched diaphragm metering pump, which incorporates a wide variety of design features that provide reliable and accurate dosing of a wide range of mild to aggressive chemicals, including those used in industrial and municipal water and wastewater treatment, chemical processing and agriculture. It also incorporates the ruggedness of a hydraulic diaphragm metering pump, eliminates the need for intermediate fluid or hydraulic oil to actuate the diaphragm and reduces the potential for gearbox oil to contaminate the process. It also feature a finned gearbox that dissipates the heat created during normal operation more readily than other designs, over sized check valves that improve performance and minimize friction losses, and rugged bronze gears for quite-running and long service life. Additionally, the straight-through flow design of the Series MP7000 liquid end and the elimination of the contour plate results in improved flow characteristics, making the pump the ideal solution for pumping difficult chemicals such as viscous fluids, shear-sensitive fluids and fluids with suspended solids.

Contact: Neptune 295 DeKalb Pike, North Wales, PA 19454, USA

Tel: (215) 699-8700 Fax:(215) 699-0370 Email:Neptune.Sales@psgdover.com/Tom.ODonnell@psgdover.com Web:http://www.psgdover.com

Introducing World’s First Controllable Single-Use Diaphragm Valve G

EMU, the valve specialist has developed the world’s first controllable single-use diaphragm valve, the GEMU SUMONDO. The product range now comprises a manually operated version alongside a pneumatically operated solution. The trend towards simplified upstream and downstream plant designs and the effective prevention of cross-contamination risks means that single-use disposable technology is becoming an increasingly highprofile and important field – especially in pharmaceutical process engineering. Single-use design is increasingly being used particularly in the manufacture of smaller batch sizes, which are required, for example, in research and pilot plants. GEMU SUMONDO links the valve body and actuator together using a defined process. The valve body is manufactured from polypropylene in a cleanroom and is gamma-sterilizable up to 50 kGy. The major advantage of GEMU SUMONDO in comparison to conventional pinch valves lies in the precise controllability of processes. Using a tried and tested actuator design from conventional plant engineering, a high degree of flexibility and reliability can be achieved

Contact: GEMU Gebr. Muller Apparatebau GmbH & Co. KG Fritz-Müller-Strabe 6-8, 74653 Ingelfingen-Criesbach, Germany 96

Chemical Today Magazine | November 2016

Ph: +49-79 40 - 123 0 Fax: +49-79 40 - 123 192 Email: info@gemue.de Web:https://www.gemu-group.com

GLOSSARY PAGE NO ABB Ltd Afarak Group AkzoNobel NV Ametek Inc Ametek Process Instruments Aranca

ARC Advisory Group ArcelorMittal SA

Arkema SA ASCO Valve Inc Ashland Inc Baker Hughes Inc (BHI) BASF SE Bayer Bentley Systems Binghamton University BioAmber Blaser Swisslube BP Plc Brenntag Brock University Bushwick Metals LLC California Analytical Instruments Inc Cargill Inc CEME SpA

Chevron Corporation China National Offshore Oil Corporationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (CNOOC) Chinese Academy of Sciences Christian Burkert GmbH & Co KG Cimcool City Technology Ltd CKD Corporation Clariant Comsol Inc Continental AG Cotton Incorporated Covestro Curtis Steel Co Inc Danfoss A/S Diacel Chemical Industries Ltd Dragerwerk AG & Co KGAA DSM DuPont Dupre Logistics Eastman Chemical Company Eaton Emerson Electric Co Enerac Inc Eni SpA Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Essve Euchner Evonik Industries Exxon Mobil Corporation Figaro Engineering Inc Florida Chemical Company Inc FMC Corporation Fuchs Future Market Insights Gasmet Technologies OY GE Aviation GE Measurement & Control GEMU Gebr Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company Government Of India Grand View Research Inc Grundfos India GSR Ventiltechnik GmbH & Co KG Gujarat Heavy Chemicals Limited (GHCL) Halma Plc Henkel Hitech Instruments Ltd HNP Mikrosysteme GmbH Honeywell International Inc Horiba Ltd

Houghton International

HP Inc Huntsman Corp

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72, 74, 84 59 3, 13, 57 72 94 37 6 59 3, 48, 61 65 63 10 3, 57, 61, 88 3 86 29 57 63 61 3 26 57 72 57 65 63 45 69 65 63 72 65 3, 46 85 7 7 3,50 57 65 61 72 3, 42 3 79 3, 81 75 72 72 63 76 91 75 3, 16, 81 61 72 57 9 63 57, 72 72 12 72 96 7 6 63 92 65 7 72 3, 90 72 95 72, 84 72 63 17 57

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IMI Plc Company Indian Oil Corporation Limited Industrial Scientific Corporation Kaneko Sangyo Co Ltd Kelvion Holding GmbH Kuwait Petroleum International Lanxess Lyondell Basell Industries Manipal University MCC Holding Hong Kong Corp Ltd MCC Petroli Hong Kong Corp Ltd Merck KGaA Microsoft

Mine Safety Appliances Co Monsanto Motul

Myriant Corp Nemaska Lithium Inc

Neptune Ningbo Kailing Pneumatic Co Ltd North Carolina State University ODE srl

Odyssey Logistics & Technology Omega Steel Company Omron

Orica

Oxford University Parker Hannifin Corp Pepperl-Fuchs

Persistence Market Research

PetroleoBrasileiro SA

PETRONAS PolyOne Corporation Praxair Inc Praxair Surface Technologies Inc Quaker Chemical Corporation Reliance Industries Limited Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rockwell Automation Royal Dutch Shell Plc Rubamin Limited

SAFECHEM Europe GmbH Sanofi Schemersal Schneider Electric SGS SA Shell Chemicals

Shell Nanhai BV

Shimadzu Corporation SICK Sinopec SMC Corporation of America Solvay SUMITOMO Chemical Company Syngenta Takasago Electric Industry Co Ltd Tata Strategic Management Group Technavio

Testo AG Texas A&M University The Dow Chemical Company

Total SA Transparency Market Research Trolex Ltd

University at Buffalo

University of California San Diego University of Delaware

University Of Science Malaysia

Vertec Biosolvents

VTT Technical Research Centre

W R Grace & Co

Wacker Chemie AG

Washington State University

Xtralis Pty Ltd Yokogawa Electric Corporation

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